The three-day Qawwali and Mushaira Festival organised by Delhi Tourism at the open-air amphitheatre in the Garden of Five Senses was a treat for music lovers in the city. The festival, which drew a large number of people, began with enchanting qawwalis by Farid Ayaaz and Abu Mohammad Qawwals based in Pakistan, belonging to the best known gharana of Qawwali, Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi. Their qawwalis are as popular with the older generation as with the youngsters. Listeners sat in rapt attention enjoying the offerings.
Individual flavours
Day two featured esteemed shayars such as Meraj Faizabadi, Raees Ansari, Rihana Shaheen, Surender Shajar and Javed Mushiri who brought the evening to life with individual flavours of their renderings of ghazals and shers. The audience applauded their performances and there were several requests for more. The Shayars duly obliged the audience.
The final day's programme witnessed touching qawwalis by Atif Hussain Khan from Hyderabad. The whole amphitheatre reverberated with his soulful voice and the accompanying music. Present on the concluding day was Kiran Walia, Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of Delhi.
