India’s first folk music documentary, EQUALS, finally launched on the streaming platform, celebrates India’s rich folk music culture, laced with modernity and energy. EQUALS celebrates the 7 rich styles of Indian folk – Thumri, Baul, Qawwali, Dhad, Kabir Poetry, Jhumur and Mewati and features exciting guests like Ricky Kej, Warsi Brothers, Swarathma, Jumma Jogi, Faridkot, Sucharita Gupta, The Yellow and more Excited artist line-up Diary, Desraj Lachkani, Shadow and Light, Rina Das, Aswekeepsearching, Dulal Manki, Rasika Shekar and Prahlad Tipanya. Among these influential names, Warsi Brothers stand out for preserving the Qawwali heritage that originated in Gharana, Delhi.
Warsi Brothers consisting of Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi and Naseer Ahmed Khan Warsi with Grammy Award-winning compositions Ricky Kej met and composed a resounding Sufi song that pays homage to traditional Kalaams in honor of the Sufi saints. Warsi Brothers also known as Dilli Gharana Qawwal Bacche are famous for their passionate performances, mainly in the Hindustani classical music genre.Over the years they have performed and released several works
qawwalis in the name of Amir Khusro. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Warsi Brothers talked about being a part of EQUALS, their glorious past and more.
The Sophie duo share their excitement about becoming members of EQUALS. They share: “We are very happy with Equals’ experimental approach. They have also carefully selected Sufi and gangster singers from all over the country. This is a very big deal. We are in it to convey the importance of unity and brotherhood Message. Just like it was the case between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians in our glorious country 30-40 years ago. Our Hindu sisters still tie Rakhis on our wrists during Raksha Bandhan. I attend their celebrations during Diwali and Dussehra and they do the same during Eid. ”
Apart from this, the Warsi Brothers are excited to be working with Ricky Kej on their show, “Even though he is a global music director, he has a positive outlook on Indian traditional music which makes me really happy. We are enjoying it,” they express.
Warsi Brothers further commented on Bollywood’s treatment of the Qawwali genre. Sharing their thoughts, the Sufi duo exclaimed, “If one is performing a Bhakti song, then the poet should also be from the Bhakti branch. Like Khwaja Mere Khwaja and other Qawwali songs composed by AR Rahman, it can be rightly called for the Sufis. But apart from that, songs like ‘Parda Hai Parda’ do not belong to us. The legacy of Qawwali is much older than what we have witnessed through the Bollywood lens. From Ghulam Farid Sabri to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, they have been a major force in spreading Qawwali art across the world.”
Looking back on the musical journey of Dilli Gharana, the Warsi Brothers say that while Hindustani classical music is the main crux of their identity, the Qawwali genre owes its flourishing to the efforts of their grandfather. They explain, “Before our grandfathers, most people sang Hindustani classical music and Qawwali music was limited to Dargah music. So, my grandfather further promoted Qawwali style of Hindustani classical singing, This made him famous. We also followed in his footsteps. Training in Hindustani classical music was a compulsory course for us in Garna. Qawwalis of that era were usually composed in the bandish style.”
When asked how they have adapted to the changing music trends and landscape, the Warsi brothers said, “We have adapted to an extent. We can sing ghazals in the qawwali style. Hazrat Hazrat Amir Khusro composed many ghazals dedicated to his peers. He wrote these ghazals in Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian and Arabic.”
The duo also recounted the most memorable live performance of their career, “When we performed at Ajmer Dargah, it was a completely different scene. Our first gig there. We couldn’t help but shed tears Tears, even the audience cried with us.”
The Warsi Brothers were also inspired by other Qawwali groups who put the genre on the world map. They said: “Most of the qawwals nowadays have become commercialized. The phenomenon of qawwals in the last few decades is amazing. But we admire people like Ghulam Farid Sabri, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jaffar Badayuni, Mohammad Ayaaz Khan from Delhi Saab, the Nizami brothers and others.”
The Sufi duo concluded by speaking about the importance of musical instruments in the performance of Qawwali, “Instruments form the soul of Qawwali. Earlier, artists used to use Daphli for their performances. Then, Hazra Hazrat Amir Khusro carved the Tabla from Pakhawaj. Dholak was added much later. As far as the usage of “Taali” is concerned, there is a Sufi The saint entered a trance state while listening to Qawwali and this is how taali was introduced,” they explain.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
