In The Name Of Qawwal: Delhi Art Exhibition Reveals The Untold Story Of Qawwali In India

Qawwal, the practitioner of the art form of qawwali is at the centre of an ongoing exhibition — ‘The Qawwali Photo Project — An Untold Story’ that redirects the spotlight on one of the most celebrated musical traditions of the country and the faceless men and women taking it forward.

Curated by Kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi, the show underway at the India International Centre, features photographs by Dinesh Khanna, Mustafa Quraishi and Leena Kejriwal capturing the qawwali practitioners from across India amidst people in an organic, non-commercial set up.

“It is an initiative meticulously conceptualized where the untold story of Qawwali unfolds through the eyes of photographers. The practitioners are photo-documented with their performance art, their lives and their association with the Sufi shrines where they perform.

“With this project, we seek to bring forth interesting perspectives as captured through the mind and lens, with respect to the cultural and social dimensions of the art form that unfold like pages from a visual story,” writes Chaturvedi in her curatorial note.

As one walks through the exhibition space, with a mellow qawwali tune playing in the backdrop, looking at images of unknown men and women engaged in an art form they love and which is perhaps their most cherished heirloom, makes the hair on your neck stand in the same way that an uninhibited qawwali performance does in a shrine.

A group of qawwals rehearsing in a personal space, a devotee offering prayers with closed eyes as a qawwal performs next to her…a trio of musicians performing on the white marbles at the shrine of Salim Chisti, the photographs exude a sense of calm.

While Khanna takes the viewers on a pictorial journey of qawwali scenes from the important shrines of Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Ajmer; Quraishi’s photo story is shot in the two prominent shrines of Dewa Sharif and Safipur in Uttar Pradesh.

Kejriwal, on the other hand, shifts the focus of her photo story and explores the musical tradition from the point of view of the women Qawwali performers.

Besides the photo exhibition, the show also features a self-documentation initiative titled, “I am a Qawwal” as part of which the qawwali practitioners take their own selfie photos, or have friends take their photos and send them to the Qawwali Project for documentation.

“During the archiving of the qawwals when I would ask for images of legendary qawwals from small towns, there were no images , just some random passport pics or blurred images of their youth.

“Theis photo series addresses the lack of documentation and archiving of qawwals and their lives in this country,” says Chaturvedi.

The self-documentation, she adds, is also a strong statement by the qawwals about how they want to be remembered for posterity.

“The self photographs we have received reveal something about the various characters of these men who are so integral to carrying on this generations-long androcentric performance tradition. Some are old, some are barely past boyhood

“The digital documentation and archiving of Indian performance traditions bestows on them a huge amount of dignity,” she says.

So far, the project has collected 50 photographs of qawwals from different parts of the country.

The show also features a segment called the “Qawwali Capsules” where videos of the practitioners speaking about their performance art, lives, and their association with the spiritual art they perform are being played.

The exhibition will continue till November 28.