what is a Qawwali ?

Qawwali is a unique form of music that has its origin in the 8th century Persia and was originally sung at Sufi shrines. It is believed that the type of song was created by Amir Khusrao who fused the traditional beliefs of Persia with the muscial tradition of India. During its inception the form was much popular in Southern Pakistan and Northen India. With the passage of time, qawwali started moving mainstream in different regions of the world including South Asia and Turkey.

The known Pakistani qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is known worldwide for his awe-inspring songs and is credited to give an international exposure to these songs. The songs are mainly written in Urdu and Pakistani but are also found in Persian, Brajbhasha, and Siraiki. Love, devotion, spirituality, and separation are the main themes of ghazals that deliver a perfect blend of emotions. Sometimes the lyrics are a bit weird still the rhythm and tune of the song manages to win hearts of millions.

Qawwalis are of different forms and genres. Some of the most popular among them are hamd sung in praise of Allah, naat sung in devotion to Prophet Muhammad, and manqabat sung in praise of Sufi saints. All these musical genres are intoxicating and powerful. These deliver a soft and sweet emotion to enrich every human life with the feel of spirituality.

Some of the heart touching qawwalis are tere mehfil main kismat aazma kar, na to karvaan ki talaash hai, hai agar dushman zamana, sharma ke yun azi parda nasheen, aaj kyun humse parda hai, hume to loot liya, parda hai parda, and pal do pla ka saath hamara.

The popularity of qawwalis is spreading wide across the length and breath of the globe. Many music lovers enjoy the fun filled singing of these songs and for many these songs are a source to infuse vibrancy into their life. For all music lovers internet provides a wide platform to download the entire 

what is a Ghazal?

Ghazal is a poetic form of songs that consists of rhyming couplets and a refrain. The origin of this form of music dates back to the 6th century AD and were earlier written in Arabic language. Later on, when people started appreciating this type of songs these were versed in other languages as well including Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, and Turkish. In all different languages ghazals are categorized into various forms including thumri, raga, taala, and khaayal.

 The music of ghazals is totally different from other song types. It is soft and slow with a warming rhythmic note. These soft songs mainly revolve around the feeling of love and the pain of separation. These are the basic themes of ghazals that make the songs more soothing and heart warming. When in love the feelings are expressed inspiringly through ghazals and when the pain of separation hits human heart, heart touching ghazals make every heart cry. Some of the legendary writers of these melodious songs are Jalal-al-Din-Muhammad Rumi, Hafez, Fuzuli, Mirza Galib, and Muhammad Iqbal. They are known for digging their heart deep to draw out some magical words from the depth of emotions. The words, the rhymes, and the poetic expression leaves a lasting impact on the hearts of the listeners. Furthermore, the warm and melodious voice of the famous ghazal singers make these songs more expressive and touchy. To name a few well-known singers there are Anup Jalota, Begum Akhtar, Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, Chitra Singh, Mehdi Hasan, Nusrat Fateh Ali khan, Pankaj Udhas, and Talat Aziz Nowadays, more and more number of people are enjoying this form of music. It has taken a prominent place in the hearts of music lovers and has also taken in route to the Bollywood industry. Many of the movie directors try and icnlude ghazals in their movie to draw the attention and appreciation of viewers. Some of the most popular ghazals of Hindi movies are tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, chandi jaisa rang hai tera, cheeti aayi hai, hoshvalon ko khabar kya, kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan, and hothon se chu lo tum.

There are many more popular ghazals apart from the Bollywood ghazals that touch every heart. Some of those include kuch haal karo, main khayal hun kisis ka, allah allah, vo baatein teri, dil ke afsaane, ek baar phir kaho, aap aaye janab barso mein, nazar nazar se mila kar, kisis ka yun to kaun hua, nazar se nazar mila, phir kuch is dil ko, and tumko dekha to ye khayal aaya.