The month of Ramazan certainly slows down activity in the entertainment business as a majority of people are fasting. The hope, for both those who fast and don’t, is that they will embrace tolerance and tenets such as Zakat, just as obligatory for all those who can afford it.
The one thing Ramazan does bring with itself is qawwali, said to be the oldest form of Islam. And this year, the qawwals have come out for the people across various events.
Just last month, Salt Arts put together the Naseeruddin Saami and Sons in a one-off series, which was presented by Zeb Bangash and included qawwali and other sacred forms of classical music such as Khayal.
Another event where qawwali took center stage was Ramadan Nights 2018, a two-day event that concluded at the Beach Luxury Hotel earlier this month and was the brainchild of CKO Event Architecture, Ensemble Pakistan and Mindmap Communications.
Though the event featured an exclusive Ramadan Souk consisting of apparel, accessories, home décor, make-up, shoes and a finely curated ‘Eat Street’ consisting of 15 various food vendors, it also played host to the sound of qawwali on both days.
Day one brought with it Fareed Ayaz, Abu Mohammad and Group who also performed at Napa’s Bazm e Aqeedat recently while day two gave people a chance to witness Subhan Brothers in all their glory.
The story doesn’t end there folks. Arts Council in Karachi hosted Hamza Akram Qawwal over the weekend while T2F has hosted Subhan Ahmed Nizami, Taj Muhammad Shad Muhammad Niazi, Saami Brothers as part of their Ramazan Qawwali Series - so far.
More is on the way as Hamza Akram Qawwal is scheduled to perform at the Port Grand on June 8. Watch out.
