Warsi Brothers to perform in Chennai on New Year's eve

The year has come to a close and as we look back, we just want to rest with a feeling that everything will fall in place. There are ways to end this year on a peaceful note, and then there is a Sufi night, with the famous Warsi Brothers from Hyderabad.

As part of a soulful New Year’s party in the city, Amjad Warsi and Asad Warsi will be performing live. Ahead of their performance, we speak to the duo about all things music, why they like Chennai’s idli dosa more than Telangana’s, and Bollywood’s role in lending qawwali a renewed touch of entertainment.

As we begin the conversation, both the brothers are quick to greet us with ‘Namaskar’, before they go on to tell us why Chennai feels like home. “We have performed many times in Chennai and we love the vibe. People are very receptive to our music, and we have some good memories of the place. There is this dargah — Hazrat Moti Baba Dargah in Chennai — where we have performed and we can’t tell you how tranquil it felt! We wish we get another chance to perform there. Come to speak of cities where we love performing, Chennai and Bengaluru top our list because people there are qawwali lovers,” says Asad Warsi, the younger of the duo.

So, what can Chennai expect when the Warsi Brothers take the stage, we ask. “Some of our most loved songs like Dumadum Mast Kalandar, Chaap Tilak, Mose Naina Milaike, among others. Then there are Bollywood hits like Khwaja Mere Khwaja, Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai… People wouldn’t let us get off the stage if we don’t sing these songs,” he says laughing, and adds, “What the audience looks for is entertainment and we have prepared our song-list keeping the same in mind.”

Also read: Electronica duo Burudu give a twist to Amir Khusrau classic ‘Zehaal-E-Miskeen’

Coming from a family of musicians and qawwals, the Warsi Brothers are the 27th generation, belonging to the gayaki of the Delhi gharana. “We are disciples of Hazrat Amir Khusrau. We were about six or seven years old when we were introduced to qawwali, ghazal and thumri,” Asad says.

Talking about how qawwali has changed over the years, Asad tells us, “How I looked at qawwali when I was a child and how I perceive it now is very different. Rather, let me say this, what qawwali was then versus what it is now — there is a huge difference, because it has evolved. Bohot sudhar gayi hai qawwali ab (qawwali has changed for the better). Moreover, demand for qawwali has also increased and so is the love for it — chahat, as we say. In fact, Bollywood has a big role to play, because they began composing qawwalis or songs that sound like a qawwali or Sufi. And since people loved it, it provided an impetus to qawwali that had been due.”

Explaining further, he says, “This change is because people’s tastes keep changing with time. For instance, disco was once very famous; before that rock ‘n’ roll was, and likewise, it is qawwali now, and I am happy people are embracing it. Actually, I must mention here that AR Rahman in particular, has been a huge influence, he has immensely contributed to the emergence and reception of qawwali in mainstream cinema by making songs using Sufi music. People not only fell in love with his music, but also came to know of this beautiful music genre — Sufi, which is all about sukoon (peace).”

The elder of the duo Amjad Warsi, who has been quiet all this while, tells us what Sufi means. “It means saint — sant, tapasvi, sadhu. Their words or preachings were composed into songs by our forefathers and given the form of qawwali,” he says, adding, “We sing in Farsi and Arabic too. In Chennai, if the audience requests, we would be more than happy to present qawwali in Farsi and Arabic.”

Also read: Lost in qawwali spirit

For someone so immersed into Sufi and qawwali, we are eager to know if they like listening to other singers. “Of course we do!” they say in chorus. “I am a fan of Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Udit Narayan and from the recent lot, I like Arjit Singh,” says Amjad, while Asad tells us that he loves listening to South Indian songs despite not understanding the lyrics. “How does it matter? Melody is what touches the heart,” he says. But when it comes to qawwali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is their favourite. “Qawwali ki meaning hi Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan hai,” says Amjad.

The brothers who are looking forward to having a good time in Chennai apart from entertaining the audience with their rendition, say they love idli dosa here. “The idli dosa in Chennai just tastes way better than Telangana’s. Also, I am a big Rajnikanth fan. As a child, I would copy his hair and dressing style,” says Amjad.

Before signing off, Asad tells us, “The COVID-19 induced lockdown took a toll on all of us. Now all we want to do is spread love, peace and harmony through music. Humara toh kaam hi yehi hai.”
 
At Vapor, Feathers hotel. December 31. Starts at 8 pm.
 `7,999 per couple.