Jashn-E-Khusrau

This collection compiles the events of Jashn-e-Khusrau, a festival illuminating the genius of Amir Khusrau, held at Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti and India International Centre, Delhi in March 2010. The festival was organized and produced by Aga Khan Trust for Culture in collaboration with Archaeological Survey of India and India International Centre. It was funded by the Ford Foundation.

Jashn-e-Khusrau celebrates the sufiana kalam (mystical poetry of Islam) of Amir Khusrau (1253?1325). Rendered in the khanaqah (shrine) of his beloved pir, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238?1325), the kalam has been kept alive for over 750 years by the qawwali singers in the shrines of the Chistiya silsila. The festival puts together an exclusive assembly of selected khanaqahi qawwal with different dargah 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 qawwali tradition; a discussion with the qawwali on the development of the qawwali styles and contents; heritage walks in Nizamuddin Basti where Amir Khusrau lies buried next to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya; film screenings on sufi music and on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan one of the greatest exponent of qawwali of our time; and an exhibition displaying Humayun's Tomb, Sunder Nursery and Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti area urban renewal initiatives.

Jashn-e-Khusrau: A Collection presents three music discs exemplifying the vast repertoire of khanaqahi qawwali and Amir Khusrau's kalam. The book presents, in the first section, three essays with an introduction articulating the history, tradition, and literature of khanaqah qawwali as attributed to Amir Khusrau. The second section compiles the kalam of the qawwalis included in the discs with transliterations and translations.

About The Authors

Shakeel Hossain, trained as an architect and urban designer, is presently a consultant to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. He is involved with the development of Urban Conservation Master Plan for Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti.