New Delhi

Spring in Delhi is fleeting — days of blossoms, balmy breezes and golden sunsets give way all too soon to the searing summer. Therefore, February becomes a month of cultural exuberance, with a packed calendar of events celebrating the city’s vibrant artistic and musical heritage. One such celebration is Jashn-e-Khusrau, being held at Delhi’s Sundar Nursery, an event that honours the life and contributions of Amir Khusrau, a Sufi mystic, poet and musician whose influence continues to shape the syncretic traditions of Hindustani music and culture.

The event pays tribute to the mystical power of Khusrau’s music, which has drawn devotees across faiths for centuries. As dusk falls over the venue, qawwali ensembles take centre stage, filling the air with the timeless compositions of Khusrau — chhap tilak…, mohe apne hi rang mein…, and, of course, sakal ban…, a song that captures the essence of spring. The rhythms, claps and soaring voices create a hypnotic atmosphere, transporting listeners into a spiritual trance.

Sunil Sharma, a scholar of Persian and South Asian literature, describes Khusrau as an unparalleled cultural icon of medieval India. “He was instrumental in forging Indo-Islamic traditions in classical music, Sufism, qawwali and Persian literature, while also nurturing the Hindavi vernacular, the linguistic bridge between Hindi and Urdu,” he explains.

Despite the many musical innovations attributed to Khusrau — ragas, the khayal, the sitar and the table — none were documented by him. Yet, as Sharma notes, “His spirit is so deeply embedded in this legacy that questioning it seems almost irrelevant.”

Participation of global artists, musicians and dancers at the festival resonates with the inclusive worldview of the country (Credit: X/@narendramodi)

Khusrau’s musical influence was transformative. His Persian roots blended seamlessly with Indian traditions, giving rise to qawwali, tarana and the early seeds of khayal. “It is safe to assume that Khusrau had a seminal influence on the cultural and musical traditions of Delhi,” says writer and commentator S. Kalidas. “His era marked a serious exchange between Persianate and local traditions. The khayal drew from both qawwali and dhrupad, but these were developments that unfolded over generations.”

The synthesis of these forms persisted through the centuries in the courts and dargahs (shrines) of the subcontinent. The Mughal emperor Jahangir, in his memoir Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, recorded the deep impact of Khusrau’s poetry on qawwali performances in his court. One of his compositions, man kunto maula…, set in raga Shuddha Kalyan, exemplifies how khayal, qawwali and tarana intertwine seamlessly, like branches of the same tree.

Today, qawwali and khayal are often viewed as distinct — the former seen as popular and accessible, the latter as classical and exclusive. However, as ethnomusicologist Katherine Schofield points out in ‘Hindustani Music in the Time of Aurangzeb’, “The qawwals of Delhi have been the custodians of Khusrau’s musical traditions from his own time to the present. They played a crucial role in the development, preservation and transmission of both qawwali and khayal.”

The Qawwal Bache, the hereditary qawwals said to be trained by Khusrau’s disciple Mian Samat Bin Ibrahim, have preserved this tradition for generations. Hyderabad-based Nazeer Nasir Warsi, son of legendary qawwal Aziz Ahmad Warsi, describes his dual musical inheritance, “I trained in khayal for 18 years and could have pursued it professionally, but I had to carry forward the qawwali legacy of my father. I keep both arts alive — the qawwali of the khanqah and the rag-raginiyan of classical music.”

PM Narendra Modi with artists at the 25th anniversary of Sufi music festival 'Jahan-E-Khusrau' at Sunder Nursery in New Delhi on February 28 (Credit: X/@narendramodi)

Khusrau’s legacy transcends music — it embodies the fusion of faiths, languages and artistic traditions. He was a poet of devotion and a courtier of emperors, a master of Persian elegance and a champion of Hindavi lyricism. He belonged to both the realm of the mystic and the world of the material.

Regula Qureshi, in her study Sufi Music of India and Pakistan, describes the essence of qawwali: “The singer’s aim is to move, to arouse and to draw the listener toward ecstasy — whether through a stately classical tune or a lilting melody.” This dynamism of expression, where spiritual longing and musical brilliance converge, is at the heart of Jashn-e-Khusrau.

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The event at Sundar Nursery is not just a homage to Khusrau’s genius but a reaffirmation of his enduring impact. His influence can still be heard in the hereditary qawwals of the Nizamuddin Dargah, the Delhi gharana’s khayal singers and the finely honed traditions of Karachi and Hyderabad. “The Delhi Gharana has always been one of qawwals,” says Kalidas. “Partition scattered its practitioners, yet the tradition persists, echoing across generations and geographies.”

Khusrau’s legacy is more than a historical artifact — it is a living tradition that continues to bridge divides, uniting people through the universal language of music and poetry.