A sea of yellow marks Basant Panchami celebrations at Nizamuddin Auliya dargah

On January 16, the official Instagram handle of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah put out a post saying, “Please be careful of fake pages and Instagram accounts that are selling tickets for the Sufi Basant programme. We would like to clearly inform everyone that Sufi Basant is celebrated every year at dargah sharif and it is completely free of cost… People from all religions are welcome to visit the dargah sharif and attend the program free of cost.”

On Basant Panchami, Nizamuddin Dargah turned yellow as devotees offered flowers and qawwalis marked the arrival of spring through faith and music. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Speaking to The Indian Express on Friday, Anis Nizami, the current Sajjada Nashin – caretaker of the dargah – said that while the dargah wasn’t fundamentally against commercial heritage walks, what prompted the post was some groups charging a hefty sum to take visitors through the lanes of the dargah, and to attend the weekly Qawwali performance.

“One can enjoy the Qawwali show free of cost. It has always been free… We had to pause weekly performances for a long time to stop people from profiting in our name. When something goes wrong, the dargah is blamed… they say we take a cut,” he added.

“Before Covid-19 pandemic, when we paused a performance because the dua had to be taken from the dargah, one of the audience members stood up to say that we can’t stop a show in the middle when they had paid for the tickets,” Nizami further said.

Harshit, an artist who also conducts heritage walks, was on Friday showing around a group of half-a-dozen people around the dargah.

Over the years, Basant Panchami celebrations at the dargah has become a symbol of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (communal harmony and tolerance). (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

He agreed to the dargah’s stance against commercial walks. “I understand why they don’t like it. I conduct these walks for free… only because I want people to be aware that such acceptance and love exists,” he said.

“The light of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb is flickering, it’s dying. I feel that as an artist, it’s my responsibility to keep the light alive. That’s why I conduct heritage walks here,” he added.

The celebration is a culmination of a tradition that started nearly 700 years ago, Nizami said.

As history goes, grieving the death of his nephew, Khwaja Taqiuddin Nuh, Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya retreated into mourning, refusing to meet anyone or speak. He secluded himself in his chilla-khanqah, believed to be located behind Humayun’s Tomb.

One of his disciples, Amir Khusrau, longing to see their teacher smile, composed verses about the spring season, inspired by a group of women dressed in yellow and carrying mustard flowers and marigolds to a temple to mark their gratitude to the deity for a bountiful spring harvest.

“I am doing all this to make you smile,” Khusrau reportedly told the saint; and after six months, Nizamuddin Auliya finally did smile.

While the shrine hosts qawwali performances every week, on Basant Panchami, the singers perform only the verses Khusrau is said to have written to lift his master’s grief, beckoning Nizamuddin Auliya to come out of winter’s grief and bestow his warmth.

The dargah, drenched in all hues of yellow on Basant Panchami, sees a footfall of approximately half a lakh visitors. Yellow, the colour of mustard blossoms in spring, is central to the celebration. Devotees wear yellow turbans or clothing, offer mustard and marigold flowers, and drape a yellow chadar over the saint’s tomb, symbolising joy and the arrival of spring.