Rhythmic notes spread energy

A heart-warming qawwali concert was presented by the Warsi Brothers at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall recently. The Warsi Brothers, who are qawwals from the Delhi gharana of music, enthralled the audience all through the programme.

Many, in fact, were so deeply immersed in the music that they asked the brothers to repeat the sher and nazm more than once.

Brothers Nazeer Ahmed Khan and Naseer Ahmed Khan created magic and for those who believe in the power of music, it was perhaps the best opportunity to see it. The ten-member team did not use any modern-day technological accompaniments as their powerful voices reverberated through the hall.

A packed hall greeted the team as the brothers were accompanied by young singers who made the rendition all the more soulful. They began their performance with
Ya Ali and went on to perform kalams of various poets like Hazrat Amir Khusro.
Bhardo Jholi, a qawwali, was performed later in the show. Each rendition was full of small couplets (shers), written by Sufi mystics, and innovated by the brothers to a certain extent. Bekhud kiye dete hain andaje hijaba was one such nazam written by Begum Shahwasi, who dedicated this kalam to his pir.

The brothers gave equal opportunity to the young singers to showcase their skills as they complimented the performance with sargams sung in typical Sufi style. Other popular songs such as Chaap Tilak Sab Chini were also performed before the team took a break to continue with other powerful renditions. It was clear that the audience was lapping up every opportunity to listen to the choicest of Sufi nazms and kalams.

Vidusha, who was there at the show, says that she could not stop applauding the performance. “The energy shown during the performance was inexplicable. I have heard people breaking down during such shows and today, I could relate to that emotion. The team was amazing and the way the brothers sang not only showed their command on music but also on Urdu literature,” she says.

Urmila, a member of the audience, felt that the performance was soulful and energetic. “This is perhaps the best of this genre of music that I have heard so far. I feel refreshed,” she notes.