QAWWALI IN THE HILLS

DEEP IN THE KUMAON HILLS IN UTTARAKHAND, A QUIET RESORT AT THE RIVERSIDE VILLAGE OF CHANFI PERIODICALLY PLAYS HOST TO AMARRASS RECORDS MUSIC TOUR, A UNIQUE THREE-DAY INTIMATE BAITHAK-STYLE FESTIVAL FEATURING QAWWALI AND OTHER TRADITIONAL INDIAN MUSIC

-  Narendra Kusnur

The chilly breeze is kept at bay by a warm bonfire that dances to the harmonium and handclaps. The instrumental introduction is followed by a majestic vocal line, as 27-year-old Sarvjeet Tamta begins the Amir Khusropenned ‘Man Kunto Maula’. The Kumaoni hills are alive with the sound of qawwali.

For over two hours, Tamta’s group Rehmat-e-Nusrat enchants the select audience at the Soulitude By The Riverside resort in Chanfi, a short distance from Bhimtal in Uttarakhand. In keeping with their name, most of the repertoire comprises songs popularised by late Pakistani legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Over two nights, their performance is part of the new Amarrass Records Music Tour series. On one of those afternoons, the same group is rechristened HimaliMou, choosing a selection of Kumaoni folk tunes.

The tour is the brainchild of Amarrass Records, formed in 2010 by Delhi-based Ashutosh Sharma and Madison, Wisconsin-settled Ankur Malhotra. The company first gained attention when it released an album by Rajasthani folk project The Manganiyar Seduction, based on Roystel Abel’s music theatrical production. They also worked with Rajasthani musicians Lakha Khan, who sings and plays Sindhi sarangi, and Padma Shri awardee Sakar Khan, who played the bowed string instrument kamaicha.

Later they backed the Barmer Boys, who even performed at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival on the same day as the Rolling Stones and hip-hop duo Outkast. The label’s albums include Kesariya Balm by Barmer Boys, and Dubfounded by electronic music producer Ravana and folk poet Jumme Khan. And starting in October every year the company also organizes Amarrass Nights, a monthly event devoted to traditional Indian and fusion at Sunder Nursery near Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi.