Qawwali festival at PNCA ends on astounding note

ISLAMABAD: A two day Qawwali festival featuring renowned Qawwal across the country concluded here the other day at Pakistan National Council of the arts (PNCA), offering a veritable bonanza for qawwali lovers of twin cities.As many as five renowned qawwali performers entertained the audience with unique expressions of qawwali, providing them with taste of soul-soothing performing art.Muhammed Jamil Hajveri, Akhtar Sharif Radapwalay, Sabir Hussain, Javed Bakhshi Salamat Qawwal, Ameer Ali Qawwal, Rasheed Akhtar Maqbool and Ali Noshi were among the performers on the second day who presented melodious expressions of qawwali.The qawwal parties led by young qawwali maestros with their group members, who are successfully carrying forward the mission of safeguarding the qawwali traditions, gave the message of love, peace and harmony through soft feelings of music.

According to the PNCA organizers, the qawwals took this message to the four corners of subcontinent through their piercing art of qawwali.Qawwali is the traditional form of Islamic song while the one who sings qawali is called `qawwal’ who closely links his inspirations to the spiritual aspects.Mostly, qawwali is linked to the Sufi traditions and Islamic verses having a mystical school of Islamic thought that strives to attain truth and divine love by direct personal experience.Qawwali follows a very specific psychological process in which one starts with the singing of the song.

In this psychological state the song is received in a manner that is not unlike standard forms of musical expression.The words are sung, quite repeatedly with variations intended to bring out deeper means of the lyrics, he said adding, after a while there was a repetition to the extent that the words cease to have a meaning.For qawali, the musical accompaniment is varied; harmonium, tabla, dholak, sarangi, saringda, and rabab, are common instruments. Furthermore, a simple clapping of the hands is a popular rhythmic support. – Dailytimes