'What you see in films is not qawwali'

Pakistani qawwal Muhammad Zaman Zaki performs in India and explains the difference between real qawwali and those envisioned in Hindi films.

Shreya Roy, Times of India

Muhammad Zaman Zaki Taji belongs to Pakistan's famous Sikandarabad gharana of qawwals. His family has been performing qawwalis for over 750 years.

Last week, his group performed at Siri Fort in New Delhi.

Q: Is qawwali popular in Pakistan?

A: It is very popular. In Pakistan, qawwals are as numerous as satsang groups here. There are over 2,000 groups. On an average our shows are attended by about 2,500-3,000 people. And that is a conservative estimate. We perform live at least five times a month and 50 times a year on television. However, there are only about two-three women qawwals in Pakistan.

Q: How much does a ticket cost for these shows?

A: Tickets are rarely sold for a qawwali. We are invited by corporates and NGOs and the entry is usually by a pass system. We charge two lakh rupees per show and that is sufficient for us. Also, while performing many members of the audience give us cash as a token of their appreciation. In dargahs, qawwalis are performed free of charge.

Q: How has the form evolved over the years?

A: Qawwali was started by the 12th century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and is essentially a form of devotional music. In its original form, qawwali is ibadat or worship and not entertainment. But nowadays, some changes are being introduced to make it more entertaining, for youngsters to get involved. There are teams that have as many as 20 members while a traditional group has no more than 10-12. Instruments like keyboards and banjos are being used now.

Some artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan have westernised the form. Others have introduced pop tunes. I feel that qawwali in its original form will survive and be preserved by the gharanas that have been practising it for generations. Sure glamour and masala are added but the ultimate aim is to unite the soul of the listener with Allah. What you see in films is not qawwali at all.

Q: Have you ever faced threats or warnings from fundamentalist groups?

A: Not really because qawwali is not an ordinary performance but ibadat. Groups that have diverged from the traditional, purely devotional form may face some protest while performing in the more remote areas but they are fairly popular in cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

Q: Is it easy for you to perform in India?

A: Getting visas is very difficult and those have to be sponsored. Other than that, the level of response we get here we don't get anywhere else in the world except at home.

Q: When performing in the West, do you change your style to suit the taste of the audience?

A: Qawwalis can go on for the entire night. But when we perform abroad we sing qawwalis only during the first half of our performance. After the interval we generally sing ghazals . We also sing poetry written by Kabir, Tulsidas and others.

link: The News International - No. 1 English Newspaper from Pakistan - Saturday, December 30, 1899

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