Rawalpindi - Institute of Space Technology (IST) Islamabad is all set to organize a Qawali night titled ‘Rashk-E-Qamar’ on November 23 to provide entertainment for music lovers of the capital city.
The event is an attempt to promote Qawali, one of the most ancient and sacred forms of music through young performers. It is a musical form closely linked to Sufi traditions of Islam and the mystic practices developed by Sufi scholars to achieve closeness to God.
Amir Khusru (1253-1325), a famous Sufi saint, poet and scholar, introduced, among others, two musical forms, the tarana and the qual, which are said to be the origin of Qawali. One of the objectives of Qawali is to induce trance among the listeners, usually at the shrine of a Sufi saint.
Qawali is free in expression, but there are certain rules which may or may not be followed by performers.
A Qawali starts with a short Alap (comparative utterances without words or rhythmic accompaniment), followed by Naghma, the dominant tune of the Qawali performed on a harmonium with hand clapping and drumbeats.
