Last night, Tyler and I went with some friends to a Sufi concert at Chowmahalla Palace -- a Hyderabadi landmark which I embarrassingly had never been to after being here nearly three years.
The concert was a performance of Abida Parveen, a Pakistani who was touring Hyderabad for the first time; and Muzaffar Ali, who was the poet behind the pieces. Chowmahalla was all dressed up for the affair; the palace shone with different color lights to blend with the music.
Sufism can be characterized as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. Sufism sprang up largely against the worldliness which was seen to infect Islam when its leaders became powerful and wealthy rulers (which, in a way, makes the choice of venue ironic, although beautiful).
In Sufism, music is seen as a tool for the believer to get closer to God, by dissolving the physical realm into the spiritual one. It's considered a form of meditation and a connection to God and divine energy. Sufi music is seen as a way to reach one's soul and awaken its consciousness.
It was a beautiful night of music, and completely different from traditional classical western music, with a set beat and time signature. Accompanying the singer were four instrumentalists: two percussionists, one accordion-like instrument, and a stringed instrument to complete the quartet.
It's too bad nights like this don't happen too often in Hyderabad... but on the flip-side, it definitely makes you appreciate when it does!
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