Nizamuddin Shrine Has Stopped Famous Thursday Qawwali Because Some Bogus Websites Are Selling Tickets For The Event

Tourists and devotees turn up at the Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah every evening after the Maghrib prayers for the nightly sama, or music programme. On Thursday, however, they found that no arrangements had been made for the popular Jumehrat qawwali, in which Sufi songs such as 'Chhaap tilak sab chheeni' and 'Aaj rang hai' fill the air with mystical devotion.

Instead of a session of sung poetry, there was a startling announcement from the dargah committee: the Thursday qawwali would not be held until further notice. The reason for the cessation of the loved activity: some websites and social media groups had begun charging people up to Rs 200 to attend the sama, which has been free for seven centuries.

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The decision has left regulars far from happy. Erum Khan, a marketing professional who has been sitting through the sama for 15 years, particularly on Thursdays when it is "especially exciting", rued that the committee was forced to take such a decision because the "situation has become dire due to touts charging a fee from interested people".

The qawwalis would be sung as per schedule on other days except on Thursdays. According to dargah committee member Altamash Nizami, a descendant of the saint whose memory is commemorated at the shrine, the decision was taken after "we came to know of several groups promising people, including foreigners, entry into the dargah for a fee".

Announcing that the committee would file an FIR against all such groups, Nizami added the panel would also send legal notices to anyone who is "cheating the common people and maligning the name of the Mehboob-e-Ilahi". A notice has been put up on the dargah's official social media pages cautioning people to be wary of "fake guides and touts".

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The sudden stop to the musical devotion sessions left many disappointed.

"The last time I visited the dargah on a Thursday, a huge crowd had queued up as the qawwals performed some of the most soulful songs I have heard. My second visit has yielded nothing of the sort," said Charu Dwivedi, a Delhi University student.

Swapna Liddle, convenor of Intach Delhi Chapter, expressed outrage at the thought of people taking financial advantage of the dargah's Sufi music sessions. She said that Intach accepted payments for taking people on curated walks through the historical quarter, but did not charge them for entry into the mausoleum or for attending the sama.