As the car winds its way up the hill, higher and higher, like a woman’s veil revealing the pretty face behind, Hyderabad reveals itself at dusk. A royal carriage with horses awaits at the entrance, to take us back in time, on a regal path. Treading the route taken by the Paigahs and the Asif Jahis, the coach stops in front of the Falaknuma—pride of Hyderabad, a jewel in its crown, set against the blue sky truly looks like the Mirror of the Sky, fully justifying its name. Now known as the Taj Falaknuma Palace, the old Hyderabaadi tehzeeb further adds to it. One can’t but admire its beauty and the respect for heritage that has pitched in to restore our legacy.
Gol Bungalow is the place where every evening, exclusively for the resident guests, a sufi qawwali is arranged at dusk. Overlooking the vast city, with a beautiful canopy above, one gets transported to a different world, listening to sufi music sung by traditional Langhas and Manganiyars, brought especially from Barmer in Rajasthan. They are famous for their classical folk music. Being hereditary professional musicians, they were under the patronage of wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. Their songs are passed on, as a form of oral history of the desert. The traditional benefactors of the Manganiars are Rajputs, while the Langhas have a similar relationship with the Sindhi-Sipahi, a community of Muslim Rajputs.
Sufi philosophy is universal in nature, though some Muslims consider Sufism outside the sphere of Islam. While all Muslims believe that they are on the pathway to God and hope to become close to God in Paradise after the “Final Judgment”—Sufis believe that it is possible to draw closer to God in this life itself. They aim to please the God by working to restore within themselves the primordial state of fitra, described in the Quran. In this state nothing one does defies God, and all is undertaken with the single motivation of love of God.
Sufism, which is a general term for Muslim mysticism, was originally a response to the increasing worldly power of Islamic leaders who attracted negative attention for their lavish lifestyles, including gold and silver tableware, extensive harems and numerous slaves and retainers, that stood in contrast to the relative simplicity of Muhammad’s life. The typical early Sufi lived in a cell of a mosque and taught a small band of disciples, proving that through self-discipline and concentration on God, by quelling the self, and with a passion to be one with the God, it is possible to maintain a union with the divine in which the human self melts away.
Dressed in white pathani suits and topis, the Rajab Ali group of eight singers set off through their music, to turn away our hearts from all else but God, to travel into the presence of the Divine. Their rich voices with a rustic charm melt away the urban stress and the associated maladies. A strong presence beckons and takes us along to an unknown world that is filled with peace and bliss.
Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali are sitting at the next table and listening to the music. Though Taj Falaknuma hosts many celebrities,the young qawwali singers are quite excited to have Sachin in the audience. After the concert, Sachin poses with them for pictures. Sattar Langha, the main singer in his teens, beams saying, “ Oh! I am a great fan of Sachin.” For all I know, Sachin himself was admiring the boy’s singing. Sporting a pretty rajasthani adrak around his slender frame, Sattar is a totally different person when he is performing. This 16-year-old, blessed with a rich voice and a true desire to be one with the Divine, sings with a gusto that totally mesmerises.
After ‘Allah Hu’, I request for ‘Chaap tilak’ and they oblige. Raag Bilawal unfolds with impressive taans in young Sattar’s incredible voice, as the kadthal keeps the beat. When they move on to ‘Damadam mast kalandhar’, the Joie de vivre is contagious, with everyone clapping.
None of them are formally trained in classical music , but they sing perfectly, never straying from the grammar of the raaga. Roshan Ali of the group says, “Sangeet hamaraa ang ang mein hai. We listen to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen et al, do riyaz and master those tunes.” In Carnatic music, he admires M S Subbulakshmi, “Unki layakari, adakari bahut hi ache hain.”
Sufis believe that it is possible to draw closer to God in this life itself. It’s true, listening to sufi music at dusk, when light meets dark, you are closer to the ultimate truth!