(File photo) Warsi Brothers performing at Lamakaan
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
“It is a 750-year-old tradition that we continue to uphold,” says Muzaffar Ali Soofi Chishti, referring to the Sufi Basant Festival to be held in Hyderabad on January 23. On Friday, the Dargah Hazrath Shaik ji Hali R A, Urdu Shareef behind Pathergatti, is set to draw an audience spanning multiple faiths, all coming together to immerse themselves in music. The colour yellow will be hard to miss, with a dress code that marks Basant Panchami.
Notes from the past
Muzaffar Ali Soofi Chishti
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Organised by the Telangana Arts and Cultural Council, the musical evening will present Mehfil-e-Nizami, a qawwali recital featuring select lyrical compositions by Amir Khusrau. The tradition traces its origins to a poignant episode from the life of Saint Nizamuddin Aulia, who, after losing his nephew, withdrew into grief.
“His disciple Amir Khusrau could not bear to see his pir so despondent,” explains Muzaffar. “On Basant Panchami, Khusrau noticed groups of men and women dressed in yellow, carrying dhols and yellow flowers, singing joyfully. When he asked them why, they said they were celebrating spring and heading to the Kalka Mandir to offer flowers and gladden the goddess. Khusrau dressed like them and went to his guru, singing, and in the end, lifted his spirits.”
Inspired by this legend, Muzaffar began organising the annual celebration in Hyderabad in 2014.
For culture enthusiasts
(File photo) Audience adhere to the yellow dress code
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Now in its eighth edition (with a break during the pandemic), the festival has become a fixture on Hyderabad’s cultural calendar. “It connects people through music and draws a diverse audience — from the general public to bureaucrats, diplomats and ministers,” says Muzaffar. “People of all faiths come together to celebrate music and oneness, and to experience the Sufi teaching of elevating the spirit.”
Floral decorations
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The evening will open with a sarangi–sitar jugalbandi by Mohammed Aslam Khan and Sai Santhosh, accompanied by Amit Bhushan on the tabla and Sai Harsha on the clapbox, a form of cajón. This will be followed by a semi-classical vocal recital by Bhushan, with Aslam Khan on sarangi and Amit Bhushan on tabla. The programme will culminate in spring-themed qawwalis by the Warsi Brothers and Shabaz Ali Khan.
Sufi Basant Festival, organised by the Telangana Arts and Cultural Council, will be held in Hyderabad on January 23 from 6.30 pm onwards. Entry is free.
Published – January 21, 2026 02:23 pm IST
