The Sudden spring of Delhi

15 August 2018
07:48

It’s been ages since I have listened to a Mehfil e Sama at Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s royal courtyard in Delhi. Yesterday was my long awaited meeting with my friend & author Meher Murshed , his nine years of research has resulted into ‘Song of the Dervish’, a bloomsbury gem. Almost three years back I had heard Fareed Ayaz Saab in the same courtyard at a short recital hosted by Peerzada Altamash Nizami . Yesterday I was chatting with Meher in the darbar, saw renowned qawwal Chand Nizamisaab in the crowd. Some junior vocalists were performing at the darbar with powerful dholak and taali accompaniment. Meher and I had a quick chat. I spotted Chandsaab in the crowd, for those of you who have heard him in Kun faya kun of bollywood flick Rockstar and Aaj rang hain ri in Bajrangi
Bhaijaan are probaly not aware about his brilliant repertoire. I folded my hands to request him to perform. He smiled and took over the harmonium from a youngster. He opened his concert with Hazrat Amir Khusro’s qaul ‘Man kunto Maula ‘. What a rendition of this beautiful Manqabat! I was backing him up in vocals unknowingly. Khusro’s Phool rahi sarson, Hazrat Khwaja Sang kheliye dhamaal, Mohe aapne hi rang mein rang de, Aaj basant mana le suhagan followed, all surreal. My back was towards Hazrat Amir Khusro’s mazaar, and I was facing Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s. Tears flowed down my cheeks. As if it was an evening hundreds of years ago, after returning from a hard day at work, writing poetry in the praise of Sultans, Khusro was back to his beloved Pir. An evening slowly turning into a night. He was reciting to Pir Nijamodin, ‘Mohe aapne hi rang mein rang de Nijam ‘. It was not a hot, humid evening in Delhi for me anymore, it was a sudden spring in Delhi yesterday. I called it Khusro’s Basant…