Sufi'sticated evening with qawwallis

A cool summer night, some Sufi music and a backdrop as majestic as the Charminar, Saturday night came alive for the guests who witnessed the qawwalli performance by the famous Sabri Brothers.

For generations now, the Sabri family in India has been doing what they love the most — making music. “My nanaji, dadaji and my father have all been creating music. What else would you expect me to take up,” asks Farid Sabri, the Sabri family scion. Today, he along with his nephews and brothers, tour the country and sometimes the world, to take Sufi music to far off corners.

“I started learning music when I was eight. Today at 53, I still feel that I’m learning; there is much more to know,” says Farid. “I started learning from my nanaji and as time went by, he realised that I was serious about it. So he taught me the taalim. Then my dad made sure that I took it up more seriously,” explains Farid.

Once you look up Sabri brothers online, there might be some confusion. You’d assume they are from Pakistan but Farid clears the air. “We’re from Jaipur and have no connection with the Sabri Brothers from Pakistan, though we make the same music. Incidentally, the head of their family is named Farid Sabri. I still remember listening to their music over AIR,” he says. “Back then, qawwallis happened only in dargahs. People would sing bhajans and it was Hindi films which made it famous,” says Farid.

But, like everything, this too had side effects. “We’ve been creating songs for a long time, but when a Hindi film uses our song or even a part of it, it becomes a hit, but our community doesn’t get the deserved recognition. I think that is something that needs to be worked on,” he rues. He explains the struggle to take qawwalli across the world. “To get the attention of the younger crowd is a task.

Qawwalli is not just some interesting music, it is a religion.” The speciality of qawwallis is not just the quality of the music. “Each qawwalli is a complex mix of Hindi, Persian and Arabic. So, to sing one, a flair for these languages is a must. It’s not as easy as it seems,” Farid says.