The Qawwali is an ode to, like Qawwalis usually are, numerous Sufi giants – Baba Farid, Moiunddin Chisti, etc, and in particular to Nizamuddin Auliya. It can be said to be a hori (the loose sub-genre of songs related to/sung during the festival Holi) and belongs to the category of poems that use three languages – Urdu, Punjabi and Braj Bhasha.
Interestingly, the languages fade into each other effortlessly and without the perception of any abrupt disconnection. The chorus of the recital is “Ganj Shakar ke Laal Nizamuddin, Chist nagar mein phaag rachayo,” that translates to “Nizamuddin, the beloved of Ganj Shakar plays Holi in the land of the Chistis”.
It is evident by the chorus that the Qawwali pulls us into the love of Holi of Nizamuddin Auliya. Aligning with the spirit of the occasion, it playfully describes the flirtations, removing the beloved’s veil, and colouring her/him, not to forget the use of the festival weaponry, the pichkari (water-gun).
Needless to say, this…