Jashn-e-Khusrau: a collection

Jashn-e-Khusrau celebrates the sūfīānā kalām (mystical poetry of Islam) of Amir Khusrau (1253—1325). Rendered in the khānaqāh (shrine) of his beloved pir, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238—1325), the kalām has been kept alive for over 750 years by the qawwālī singers in the shrines of the Chistiya silsilā. The festival puts together an exclusive assembly of selected khānaqāhī qawwāl with different dargāh affiliations—each with distinctive style and repertoire. In that way it is singularly unique. It includes several other related events such as lectures on the poetry of Amir Khusrau and its contribution to qawwālī tradition; a discussion with the qawwāl on the development of the qawwālī styles and contents; heritage walks in Nizamuddin Basti where Amir Khusrau lies buried next to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya; film screenings on sūfī music and on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan—one of the greatest exponent of qawwālī of our time; and an exhibition displaying Humayun’s Tomb, Sunder Nursery and Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti area urban renewal initiatives.