Sufi Basant Tradition - Dargah Hazrath Shaik ji Hali RA, Urdu Shareef

When I first saw the news item in the newspaper about this event I decided to attend. Luckily Vasu was game so we headed off to Pathergatti. Considering the traffic we parked near Salar Jung Museum and hitched an auto ride to Pathergatti.

The Dargah Hazrath Shaik ji Hali RA, Urdu Shareef is in a small gully off Urdu Gali and we could see the sign from afar. The entrance to the Dargah was painted yellow and we knew that this was the place. 

We stepped in and there were thedr beautiful marble structures over the tombs in the middle. They were decked up in yellow, there were chrysanthemums by the dozen, yellow lights on the top in celebration of Basant Panchami or spring. 

The dress code was specified as wearing something yellow so we both wore yellow kurtas. We also bought yellow caps which were being sold and for good measure got a yellow pagdi done up for us. Since we were early we sat and waited. There was a stage like space to the far end with chairs so we sat and waited. 

According to Muzaffar Ali Soofi Chisti who has been organising this event since 2014, it is a 750 year old Sufi Basant Tradition which goes back to the times of Nizamuddin Aulia. When he lost his nephew and withdrew his disciple Amir Khusrau wanted to lift his spirits. He saw men and women dressed in yellow singing songs and playing the dhol and found that they were celebrating Basant Panchami. He also dressed in yellow and went to his master singing songs and this lifted his spirits. This is the tradition that is being continued. 

The crowd was of multiple faith - there were Buddhist monks, pastors, holy men of all religions. Some foreigners, students, beurocrats, civilians. People sat on chairs, on the floor. Some VIPs came and were seated.

The evening began with a Sarangi-Sitar jugalbandi by Md Aslam Khan and Sai Santosh. Then there was a semi-classical vocal recital by Bhushan on tabla with Aslam Khan on sarangi. The final piece was a Qawwali by Warsi brothers Nazeer and Naseer and Shabaz Ali Khan. The sound system was below par.

Vasu and I sat near the tombs where many people slowly drifted to thanks to the loud sound system. We headed out after the Qawwali and snacked at Govind dosa followed by a lassi at Agra Sweets. Loved the street food, the old city vibe. Decided to come back again and walk the streets sometime soon.

Overall a nice experience.