In these troubled times, a little cross-border musical harmony helps. Thursday evening saw a qawwali concert organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Called Mehfil-e-Shama Parvana, the concert at Siri Fort Auditorium saw an all-male qawwali troupe from Pakistan battle their wit, vocals and musical talent with an all-female troupe from India. While the men were led by Muhammad Zaman Zaki Taji, the women were led by Chanchal Bharti (in the picture), one of the few women qawwals. “We’re trying to preserve and nurture an age-old tradition which requires a lot of dedication,” said Bharti. “We cannot play to the gallery or tune our music to suit popular tastes.” Taji nodded: “Not many people listen to it these days, but as long as there is a dargah, there will be qawwali.”
