Delhi’s Sufi Heritage Festival is an ode to Delhi’s diverse traditions, faiths, and histories that seamlessly blend in a timeless harmony that defines the city’s soul

By Suman Bajpai

Writer and poet Saumya Kulshrestha launched Delhi’s Sufi Heritage Festival by reciting a verse from Amrita Pritam’s poignant poem, Main Tainu Fir Milaangi.

Main tainu fir milaangi/ Kithe? Kis trah? Pata nahi

Shayad tere takhiyl di chinag banke/ Tere canvas te utraangi

Ya khore teri canvas dey utte/ Ik rahasmayi lakeer banke

Khamosh tainu takdi rawangi/ Main tainu fir milaangi

I will meet you yet again

How and where? I don’t know that.

Perhaps I could be a figment of your imagination

Or maybe I will draw myself

As a mysterious line that shouldn’t be

On your canvas

Quietly, I will stare at you

And I will meet you again.

Kulshrestha’s mellifluous tones set the stage for a romantic exploration of Sufi mysticism at New Delhi’s serene Sunder Nursery from March 8th to 9th, 2025. The two-day festival took the audience on a magical journey through history, music, culture, poetry, storytelling, art, and food, paying homage to Delhi’s 700-year-old Sufi heritage and luminaries like Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Amir Khusrau, Mirza Ghalib, and Dara Shikoh.

For two unforgettable days, visitors experienced soul-stirring performances, captivating stories, and immersive experiences—all set against the breathtaking backdrop of Sunder Nursery. According to its organizers, the Sufi Heritage Festival is a pioneering cultural celebration dedicated to the timeless traditions of Sufism. Inspired by the rich reservoir of Delhi’s heritage, the first edition of the all-inclusive festival was held in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, the great Chishti Sufi saint of Delhi once said, “Music is the secret of love, and love is the secret of the divine.” The festival sought to embody the essence of this reflection.

Kashmiri Sufi rocker Yawar Abdal (image credit: Suman Bajpai)

Co-founder Yasmin Kidwai says the festival paid homage to Delhi’s Sufi legacy. “I think this festival is the best way that Delhi is expressed to the admirers of Sufism. We want to convey to the world about Sufism, which talks about openness, secularism, freedom, and synchronism. What Delhi is known for will trickle down, and the younger generation will come to know and appreciate it. Delhi’s Sufi heritage is a reminder of how deeply the local is intertwined in the Nizamuddin area with the global….bringing together diverse voices, traditions, and communities that keep this spiritual and cultural legacy alive.”

For two days, music resonated in the air with concerts by renowned artists such as Rekha Bhardwaj, Nizami Brothers, Dhruv Sangari, Kabir Café, and Aditi Mangaldas as well as performances by Yawar Badal, Whirling Dervishes, and Baul musicians. Uniquely named stage settings reflected the diversity of Delhi’s Sufi heritage.

Musician Jasleen Aulakh (image credit Suman Bajpai)

Bebaak

Bebaak (fearless) celebrated poetry, storytelling, and spoken word recitals by performers celebrating the works of Iqbal, Rumi, and Faiz in individual styles in innovative, modern interpretations of Sufism. They included Saumya Kulshrestha, a writer, and poet who has evangelized poetry as an art form, and singer-songwriter Harish Budhwani who brought Amrita-Imroz and Sahir to life through narrative storytelling and unplugged music.

Sufism is a divine connection that transcends time and boundaries through music and art forms. Iranian-Kurdish-born percussionist and composer Dr. Sina Fakhroddin G displayed his mastery of multiple Persian and Middle Eastern percussion instruments especially the Daf, alongside Murad Ali Khan, a distinguished sarangi virtuoso, who comes from a lineage of musicians spanning six generations within the Moradabad Gharana. Khan created a ‘Sufiyana’ atmosphere with his tombak while playing the poetic wisdom of Iranian and Indian mystics.

Kashmiri Sufi rocker Yawar Abdal redefined traditional sounds by blending modern music and technology with poetry by native Kashmiri poets Mirza Ghalib, Mahjoor, and Amir Khusrau.

Musician Jasleen Aulakh sang songs she wrote in collaboration with her lyricist mother Polly Saghera on the joys and sorrows of life. “Sufi music is a journey of the soul—one that connects us to a power much greater than ourselves,” she said.

Kawaali evening featuring Nizami Bandhu who come from the legendary Sikandra Gharana (image courtesy: Sufi Heritage Festival)

Sama

On Sama, the grand stage, barrier-breaking performers created pieces to reveal Sufism’s hidden truths. They included Qawwali singers Nizami Bandhu from the legendary Sikandra Gharana, which has a 400-year legacy as Darbari singers. Their qawwalis connected deeply with the spirituality and transcendent powers of Sufism.

Sama also featured the artistry and grace of Kathak virtuoso Aditi Mangaldas; poetry by gifted lyricist and talented actor Gurpreet Saini and award-winning spoken word poet and storyteller Priya Malik; and mystical tunes by singer Rekha Bhardwaj, whose repertoire seamlessly blends traditional melodies with contemporary Hindi film songs.

Singer Rekha Bharadwaj (image courtesy: Sufi Heritage Festival)

Kargaah

At Kargaah, Master Calligrapher Syed Salahuddin offered workshops on the major elements of Urdu calligraphy, and interactive sessions on Sanjhi art, aari embroidery, pottery, and traditional crafts by other artisans. Sanjhi, an ancient paper-cutting art from Mathura, took center stage in this workshop, with craft handcrafted products inspired by local Mughal monuments, led by Insha-e-Noor, a women’s enterprise initiative from Nizamuddin Basti. For shoppers and food lovers, the festival created a curated marketplace offering handicraft items and food stalls with delightful traditional Sufi cuisine,

“Sufism teaches us that love is the purest form of worship, and what better way to celebrate this than through music? The Sufi Heritage Festival is a living testament to the beauty of this tradition—a place where voices unite, hearts connect, and the divine presence is felt in every verse and every melody,” said Kidwai.

Rooted in the spiritual ethos of love, unity, and enlightenment, the festival created an immersive experience. It offered a unique lens into the world of Sufism, embodied in the festival’s enigmatic invitation “Come, come, whoever you are—wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.”