The International Sufi Rang Festival in Ajmer Sharif blends sacred arts, calligraphic inscriptions, Sufi musical performances, poetry and Sufi discourses in an immersive exhibition aimed at fostering social amity, cultural festivity, interfaith harmony and national integration.
The word ‘calligraphy’ which is equivalent to the Arabic noun khatt or khattati in Urdu derives, through the European languages, from the Greek kallos (meaning: beauty) and grafos (meaning: writer or writing). Thus, it denotes the beauty of a writer or beautiful and fair writing as an art or profession.
There is a famous Prophetic tradition which states: “Allah is the Most Beautiful and He loves the Beauty”. According to several Sufi mystics and Muslim philosophers, the above hadith particularly refers to the divinely inspired appreciation for arts and aesthetics. Therefore, medieval Muslims who were well aware and greatly appreciative of arts preserved and developed the pre-Islamic arts including the romantic Arabic poetry and calligraphic inscriptions. In fact, they commissioned splendid manuscripts of pre-Islamic Arabian artists and calligraphers, notably Ibn al-Bawwab and the medieval lexicographer, Ibn Faris who produced the most in-depth study of the Arabic roots, defined as Khatt.
Preeminent pre-Islamic poets Imra’ul Qais and Labid ibn Rabiah composed marvelous qasidahs or odes, notably the ones collected in al-Sab’a al-Mua’allaqat, the seven poems suspended in the Temple at Mecca before the advent of Islam. The 6th century Arab poet Imra’ul Qais, though a pagan of Mecca, was highly praised by Prophet Muhammad when he heard of his poetic skills. From the evidences like this recorded in Isalmic history, Sufis derive legitimacy for their flair for arts and aesthetics–from calligraphic inscriptions to musical renditions.
Inspired by such Prophetic traditions, Indian Sufi artists and calligraphers gather at Ajmer Sharif every year for around 15 years. It is the largest celebration of the Sacred Arts of Sufism in India, which is known as the International Sufi Rang Festival (ISRF) and is held annually in the historic Mehfil-e-Sema Khana of the Dargah Ajmer Sharif. It has evolved into a distinctive art exhibition over the years, bringing together renowned calligraphers, painters, curators, and visual artists from all over the country and other continents of the world.
The ISRF was conceived by Haji Syed Salman Chishty, a custodian of Ajmer Sharif Dargah and was curated by Gauri Yusuf Hussain of Bharuch, Gujarat. It has been hosted and organised by Chishty Foundation for the past 15 years inside the 800-year-old majestic Sufi courtyard at Dargah Ajmer Sharif, known as Mahfil-e-Samaa Khana (spiritual audition hall).
Every year, the International Sufi Rang Festival celebrates Divine Love with sacred arts, calligraphic inscriptions, spiritual Sufi musical performances, poetry, conferences on Sufism, and a dialogue for world peace, interfaith harmony, and national integration.
The Festival has been promoting the pluralistic practises of the Chishti Sufi Order among its devotees and followers throughout India, South Asia, and different countries around the world. These practices are based on the fundamental Chishti principles and noble teachings of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti Gharib Nawaz (R.A), particularly “Love for all, malice towards none,” and “Serving all Creations of God with Unconditional Love.”
The 15th International Sufi Rang Festival (ISRF) in Ajmer Sharif was marked by extraordinary enthusiasm on part of the distinguished Guests of Honour as well as the audience, which included academicians, scholars, writers, well-known Sufi artists, and calligraphers from about 40 states in India. There were also visual contributions from artists from 32 different countries who were of Arabic and Persian descent.
While live workshops on calligraphy inscriptions and the captivating display of mystical Sufi arts went on all day in the Mahfil Khana of the Dargah Ajmer Sharif, the glorious night of the 10th Rabi-ul-Awwal marked a significant turning point in the history of the annual Sufi Rang Festival.
Through their spectacular encounters with the Sufi artists and public speeches, a wide range of film industry celebrities, government officials, media producers, and literary figures demonstrated their fervent enthusiasm for the sacred Sufi arts on this occasion.
On the sixth day of the ISRF, Haji Syed Salman Chishti, Gaddi Nashin at Dargah Ajmer Sharif and chairman of Chishti Foundation, extended vote of thanks to all the dignitaries who took part in the evening session, which was moderated by Mr. Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, a Sufi author and Indo-Islamic scholar.
Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and the event’s chief guest, praised the initiative as a timely attempt to maintain the social fabric of the country. He asserted that the person who actively participates in social and humanitarian service with unwavering dedication is a true Sufi. He added: “A Chishti is the one who embraces one and all irrespective of caste, creed and culture.”
Muzaffar Ali, a well-known filmmaker, poet, and cultural revivalist spoke eloquently about sacred arts and Sufi aesthetics. He referred to Islamic spirituality as it was revealed in the holy Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophets, including the well-known Hadith that states, “Allah is the Most Beautiful and [therefore] He Loves the Beauty.” He discussed different facets of the Sufi perspective on beauty and aesthetics in his brief but insightful discourse.
Padma Shri Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, a well-known classical Dhrupad singer from India, praised the Sufi Rang Festival and emphasised the need for ongoing efforts in Ajmer Sharif to promote the significance of diversity, cultural festivity and plurality through the sacred arts, particularly the soulful Sufi music.
The 15th International Sufi Rang Festival saw a mixed crowd of artists and academics, bureaucrats and filmmakers mesmerised by the 20th generation modern Dhrupad vocal master, who has been performing beautiful forms of Dhrupad as his family tradition and holding concerts in India and abroad.
Blending patient phrases with fine rhythmic control and an effortless vocal elasticity, Ustad Dagar left the audience spellbound, reminding them of his father, noted Dhrupad singer Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar. Dhrupad, one of the oldest classical Indian traditions still in existence today, may be traced back to the 15th century when a Dagar served as a court musician for the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar is still actively engaged in it today, not only in India but also abroad. The Dhrupad rendition form of Indian classical music has been revived by the Sufi Rang Festival at Ajmer Sharif.
Among the guests of honour at this session of the ISRF-2022 was Shri Vijay Jawaharlal Darda, chairman of the Lokmat Media Group and a renowned journalist and experienced politician. Shri Darda inspired the event organisers, curators, and volunteers as a kind-hearted philanthropist and the son of a Freedom Fighter, praising the Chishtiya Foundation’s heroic efforts for peace-making and nation-building.
The Global Peace Awards were conferred upon each dignitary in appreciation for their many years of visionary leadership and impeccable guidance in serving the country and the humanity at large. The custodians of the holy shrine, Khuddam-e-Khwaja Saheb, also congratulated them at the same time during their dastar-bandi (turban tying ceremony).
Moreover, Hazrat Baba Tajuddin (R.A) Trust, Nagpur was also honoured and felicitated through the Trust Secretary, Janab Taj Ahmad Raja. Chairman of Hazrat Baba Tajuddin (R.A) Trust, the famous Oxygen man Pyare Khan–Nagpur-based businessman, who shot to fame for his incredible relief work for the Covid patients during the 2nd COVID wave– was also recalled on this occasion. Besides them, Ata Muhammad Nizami Shah Taj Qadri Baba from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh along with Syed Ahfaz Ali, Sajjadanashin at Hazrat Shafi Baba Qadri, Nagpur were also felicitated by Khuddam-e-Khwaja Saheb. Additionally honoured were the daughter of Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, Ms. Saira Haleem Shah, and a businesswoman, thought leader, and philanthropist, Ms. Fatima Farrah Chishti.
Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, the classical Indian Dhrupad singer, once more astounded the audience with his exquisite Sufiyana Kalam (spiritual lyrics) and soulful music. The live workshops and interactive sessions on calligraphic inscriptions, sacred arts, and spiritual ethos being imparted in the Mahfil Khana as part of the International Sufi Rang Festival stimulated an avid interest among the dignitaries.
On the 7th October, the Closing Ceremony was held in which the festival brought together not just Sufi artists and calligraphers but also writers, senior journalists, well-known filmmakers and musicians of great repute.
In the closing ceremony after the Friday prayer, a crowd of shrine visitors turned up in the festival which welcomed and felicitated the famous filmmaker Imtiyaz Ali and prominent Indipop singer Mohit Chauhan. They spoke about their inner spiritual journey of rising beyond the mundane affairs in their divine love cleansing the internal self. The director of block-buster Rockstar which is popularly known today as “tale of Sufi Wisdom”, Imtiyaz Ali began his talk with a famous couplet of Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi: “What you seek is seeking you”, which was the tagline of Shahrukh Khan-starrer Jab Harry Met Sejal, a romantic movie written and directed by Ali. “Cinema is one of the most important and influential art forms today which has fairly contributed to the dissemination of universal values of Sufism through mystical music”, Ali concluded. Afterwards, Mohit Chauhan, who is known for his best work and soulful Sufi songs in Hindi films, sung the famous spiritual lyrics “O Nadaan Parindey Ghar Aa Jaa” from the super-duper hit Rockstar. “This was a tribute to Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz and his message of unconditional love which echoes throughout the movie”, he said.
Senior journalist Shri Rishi Suri, director and senior editor of the Daily Urdu Milap was also honoured and felicitated by Khuddam-e-Khwaja Saheb. In addition, Shri Anshdeep ji District Collector of Ajmer Sharif and Mr. Ricky Kej, the world music composer and Granny Award Winner, Janab Imran Chishty Khwajgani and the Sarv Dharm Maitria Sanstha were also felicitated.
Dargah Ajmer Sharif Gaddi Nashin Haji Syed Salman Chishty, the organizer and conceiver of the festival and Chairman of Chishty Foundation extended vote of thanks to all artists, participants and distinguished guests of the ISRF-2022. In his conclusive remarks, he said that that art is the mirror of culture, and the epitome of society. Sufi is a lover of art because art attracts everyone without discrimination. Culture binds us in a thread of love.
The writer is an Indo-Islamic scholar and writer on Sufism. He may be reached at grdehlavi@gmail.com