Dhaka: Some after two and half minute-drum music, Sher Ali took his flute to play, spreading the melodies through waving his right hand. Beside him, Meher Ali was playing harmonium.

“Shah-e-Mardan…/ Sher-e-Yazdan…Quawat-e-Parwardigar… (King of bravery…/ Lion of Allah…/ Power of Allah)

La Fatiha Ellah Ali…/ La Saif…Ellah…Julfikar.. (None is like Ali/ No sword persists like Zulfikar)

Ayeeee…/ Maan Qunto Mawla…

Darawa Dil Darwaa Dil Dara-e-Danihiii…

Tun Tuna Ta Naa Naa Nanaaa Nanaaaaa Naaaaanaaaaareeee…”

The whole MBPJ auditorium of Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur was endorsed in musical magic.

Two siblings – Meher Ali and Sher Ali – hailed from Pakistan. Claps from their 14 peers were creating lyrical sounds; with which harmonium bellows and tabla taal made the occasion live.

While, the strong heavy tone of Sher Ali was generating lyrics with Shah-e-Mardan…/ Sher-e-Yazdan.

Such a Qawwali night was gifted by Lilian Fan along with a Bangladeshi volunteer Syed Minhajur Rahman in Malaysia.

Subconsciously, our hands too echoed those of the performers at the stage. I can confirm you that no matter whether you get the lyrics or tune, you must clap with the audience simultaneously.

We were about to find nothing but darkness following a trip at a detention camp in Malaysia two days before. But this music erases all tiredness within moment.

Music of Mehr Ali and Sher Ali seemed to have befallen us in love and admiration of Hazrat Ali.

Days came back on the round of the world. Meher Ali and Sher Ali with their band brought love in the earth.

They were offering prayers to the creator and representing the dignity of Hazrat Ali in the melodies through devoting themselves. It seemed they were trying to redemption themselves off flaws in love and devotion with the harmony.

We, duo took positions in the front carpets like others from sitting behind.

With the swing of Qawwali, the whole auditorium seemed overwhelmed, audience absorbed in through nodding heads and slightly hitting bodies with hands.

We were prepared from earlier on the invitation from Lilian Fan for an exciting and charming evening. But it was many times than what we thought.

For Bangladeshis, living in Kula Lumpur concert refers to an evening with a lot of enjoyment in cacophony. But what we learned from the past few days Pusaka experiences that the audience does not expose themselves like ours, rather enjoy in fantasy.

Minhaz, sitting beside me seemed much attentive and fancied more than us for his interrelation with Qawwali from earlier. He made us heard recorded Qawwali from his mobile phone. He tries to sleep with every night with this melody.

He told us that Qawwali is arranged in his Chittagong resident as his grandfather and family members are Qawwals. They have many fans as well, and even artistes from India also joined their house. Minhaz is good at Urdu and it was my good luck to enjoy Meher Ali and Sher Ali’s Qawwali with such a music sage.

I heard Qawwali many times before. But this time I was fascinated with joy that reminded me my first enjoyment of Qawwali at Mall Chattar in Dhaka University.

It was most probably in June, 2012. The then university treasurer Rezaur Karim was an aficionado of music. He initiated to bring Dhaka’s famous Shamir Hossain and his troupe to perform. My interests in Qawwali grew then amid 40-minute standing at Mall Chattar.

“Allah ko Mehbub Ki../ Jab Yadi Ageyi../Bolo Akh-chhe Jibril Se../ Allah Ne Kaha..” I can still remember the lyrics.

Since then, I have been a fan of Qawwali.

The men of the troupe are linked in families. Father, brother, uncles and cousin and other family men consists of the band.

The two leaders sang two songs one after another and was about to leave the stage. But ‘one more… one more’ was the sounds chanted elsewhere from the audience.

Meher Ali and Sher Ali did not frustrate us. Again he began playing harmonium coming from behind the screen.

Suddenly tabla was sound drumming by Kamar Ali Amzad. The whole auditorium went calm for around four minute in the magical sound. His smile from the stage pacified the audience in deed.

In a word, Kamal Ali Amzad recites poem in his tabla.

Again Amjad Sher Ali also made the audience amazed with his “Sa..sa. .sasasasasas… rerererere… gagagagagag… mamamamam  saregammmaaa”.

‘Ho Lal Meri…/ Rakhio Bala Jhulay…/ Llaaalan O Lal Meri…/ Ho… Lal Meri… Pat Rakhio Bala…/ Jhulay Lalan Shindri Da…/ Sevan Da Shakhi Shahbaj Qalandar… Dama Dam Mas Qalandar..”

Runa Laila is much popular among the Bangladesh artistes in Qawwali. And all the audience could not but dance with the music the two brothers.

Minhaz informed me that “Beshak” which mean “much excellent” was the proper matter to appreciate Qawwali.

I was giving Beshak with claps as Minhaz was interpreting Urdu which made me clarify the lyrics to enjoy.

However, I got introduced with the band earlier. On September 16, Indonesian Medan immigration police prevented me from entering their country due to having press ID card in my moneybag. “Your country not you are the problem,” was the response I got which suffered me much, even after returning to Kula Lumpur.

But Lilian Fan made me busy the next day, inviting me to Pushaka for Meher Ali and Sher Ali.

On that day, I talked with the two brothers at Hotel PJ Hilton. He told me that Qawwali is a devotional lovely song which indicates only love for people.

The word “Qawwali” drives from “Qawwal”. Ameer Khashru was the pioneer of the song, which is basically of Sufi and devotees and composed in Urdu and Farsi.

This song is sung in a group, comprising of one or two vocalist and other tune the melody. Dholok, a traditional music instrument in subcontinent is used with claps to tune such song. It is a key feature of Qawwali. It includes songs of romantic and devotional. Dadra, Dhumali, Allegory and Poshtu etc are used as the key tunes.

Meher Ali and Sher Ali brothers said that they rendered Qawwali of Hamd, Naat, Ghazal, Manqabat, Munzat and others.

They know Runa Laila of Bangladesh as a key singer. While talking on her, they paid their tribute to the Bangladeshi artiste.

They called up all to spread out the melodies of Sufism in order to restore peace in the instable world. “It only talks about devotion and love. It sings about the harmony, echoing all melodies of creations together. It speaks for bringing an end to violence and clash.”

They also talked about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Junoon Band, Rabindranath and Sabri brothers as well.

Like Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh, India’s Hyderabad, Delhi and other regions, Qawwali is much popular in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet of Bangladesh. It is a seven-hundred year tradition.

This band of Mehr Ali and Sher Ali is mainly emerged from classical school of Hindustani music. The veteran artistes were born in 1950 at Qasur of Pakistan.

They began their musical journey with the hands of their father who was a follower of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s father Fateh Ali Khan. Young Sher Ali was student of Salamat Ali Qawwali.

Mehr Ali and Sher Ali said that Nusrat Fateh Ali’s family was the coach of their family.  Mehr Ali took lessons from Mohammad Ali Faridi from whom he learned Sufism, poetry and get involved with music.

The Qawwals’ have to have a clear concept of Sufism. The lyrics should be nurtured in their minds.

The group thinks the song raises appeased compliance in the heart, which the artistes also got absorbed in.

Since 1960, the Ali brothers adopted Qawwali as profession. But they came in limelight with much popularity after 1980. And they did not have to look back since 1995 after being drawn attention to the Pakistan government. Later they have begun to spread out Qawwali elsewhere in the world.

BDST: 1910 HRS, APR 09, 2016
RR