A thick, pea soup like fog has descended on Delhi trapping in the pollution. I can almost see the little pollution particles taking refuge in my pores in the absence of anywhere better to go. Like a good brownie I am prepared, armed with cotton wool soaked in rubbing alcohol which I brandish at the smallest opportunity. Does this herald the end of warm, summer days? For all my complaining about the heat, I hope not.
Last night we went to qawwali at Nizamuddin's tomb to watch the Sufis dancing and singing. Sufi devotional songs called qawwali are performed every Thursday evening in the open air in front of the 16th century marble shrine of Sufism's greatest saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. It's an unforgettable experience. Last night was especially festive as it was an Eid celebration. I was secretly hoping I would get to see a dervish whirl but alas there was no whirling to be had.
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Hi! Louise,
In Qawwali singing nobody whirls.You got the information mixed up.
Dervishes whirling with devotional fervour can be seen only in Turkey or Iraq before its occupation or Iran before revolution.
Qawwali singing is part of softer Islamic or so called Sufi tradition that developed only in India. Hence you can experience it in Pakistan or Bangladesh which were part of India till 1947.
Qawwali singing is not part of any other Islamic world ( Arab, Africa,Persia or South East Asia ).
When the Muslim missionaries started coming to India to preach Islam in India under the patronage of Muslim kings,with the conquest of north India by Muslim kings from Afghanistana, Central Asia & Persia,they wanted to make Islamic teaching more acceptable to the singing dancing Indian folks.
So Qawwali developed...praying to the almighty Allah...and then...the almighty God ( who is one....as per the Sufis ).
It can be called Competitive Religions.
The same practice is being followed by Christian missionaries today. They are increasingly resorting to same all night devotional singing eccetra.
Oh. So I guess I won't get to see them while I am in Delhi then.
No..and I am not sure you are going to Turkey either or Iraq for that matter. Too bad eh!
yeah umm about the dancing. It's not dancing. The people go in a state of trance (wajd) where they are no long aware of anything but God. As if they are getting shocked by 10,000 volts, they make random movements which appears like dancing. That's there is to it?
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