In January 1884, Priya Nathji arranges for Qawwali to be sung on the Birthday of Shri Babaji Maharaj on the 21st of January 1984. . Shri Nathji had not been too enthusiastic about the qawwaallis but agreed to Priya Nath’s suggestion when he said that qawwaallis had always formed a part of Babaji’s darbaar in Lahore–especially on his birthdays on the 21st of January. So a Qawwaal’ from Hazrat Nizammudin Aulia’s dargah comes over for instructions on the qawwaallis. His name is Mahmood Nizami and has developed great faith in Shri Nathji.
Priya Nath gives him Shri Nathji’s ghazal to be sung on Babaji’s birthday:
Teri ye tasveer hai be-shak karaare zindagi
Isski raihmat par hai meraa inhisaare zindagi
This, Thy picture, is the solace of my Life
On its Mercy rests the foundation of my life
It was a poem Shri Nathji had written on Babaji Maharaj in his youth, which described the divine beauty of Babaji’s soul.
Then there is the ghazal of Shri Nathji which Priya Nath likes very much, and to which he had given a very catchy tune:
Ai husne jaavedaan too, chhuptaa rahegaa kab talak,
Kab tak bhee tere rukh par ye hai nakaab kaisaa
O Thou Everlasting Beauty, for how long willst Thou hide Thyself?
For how long will this veil remain on Thy Face!
Then there is the new ghazal that Shri Nathji has written for the coming birthday of Shri Babaji Maharaj:
Aaj phir aayi hai duniyaan men bahaare zindagi
The Spring of Life has come into this world again!
The qawwaal says to Shri Nathji:
“Today I have met Thee! My destiny has reached its zenith! Now all my problems in life shall be solved!”
Shri Nathji narrates a Persian verse to the qawwaal, which happened to be ringing within the man’s heart at the time:
Kushtagaane khanjare tasleem raa
Har zamaan az ghaib jaane deegarast
For those who have died before the Sword of His Will
A new Life comes from regions unknown
On 21st the qawwals came for the progam. As the outside tent - shaamiaanaa - was too cold a place for Shri Nathji to sit for long, Priya Nath suggested that they all go inside the house where the function could be continued in the big room. Once inside, there was the magnificent sight of Shri Nathji sitting in his favourite armchair in his golden turban and his dark blue striped achkan, with Priya Nath sitting by his side. Shri Nathji’s face already had a divine glow that had become unbearable.
The qawwaals sat at close quarters to him, while the room was packed with people and many had to sit or stand outside.
The qawwaals appeared to be lost in uncontrollable ecstasy at the sight of Shri Nathji, who sat close to them inside the room. They said to him:
“Ye sab sher aap hee nikalvaa rahe hain!”
“You are bringing out these verses from within us!”
The first qawwaalli they sang clearly revealed that Shri Nathji was God come down upon earth in a human form with the highest of Beauty and Love:
“Ishq ki iptadaa bhee tum, husn ki intahaa bhee tum,
Raihne do raaz khul gayaa, bande bhee tum Khudaa bhee tum
“Thou are the beginning of Love, and Thou the zenith of Beauty,
The secret must out–Thou art man as well as God!”
They also sang the ghazals written by Shri Nathji, which had been given to them:
“Teri ye tasveer hai beshak karaare zindagi
Iskee raihmat par hai meraa inhisaare zindagi
This, Thy Picture, is the solace of my life,
On its Mercy doth rest the existence of my life!”
And the birthday ghazal on Shri Babaji Maharaj written by Shri Nathji in January 1981:
“Mubaarik janam din Baba kaa ho saare zamaanon ko,
Zameenon aasmaanon ko aur phir saare jahaanon ko
“Good tidings be to the people of the world on the birthday of Babaji,
To the earth and the skies and the worlds around us!”
As Shri Nathji listened to the ‘qawwaallis’ and later spoke powerfully in chaste Urdu and Persian afterwards–the people assembled there lost control of themselves in an ecstasy of spiritual devotion. The qawwaals could hardly believe their ears as they listened to Shri Nathji’s chaste Urdu and Persian, the likes of which they had never heard before in their lives.
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Ustad Mehmood Nizami (also spelled Mehmood Farid Nizami) was a respected Sufi qawwal and a key figure in the musical lineage of the Nizami Bandhu. He belongs to the centuries-old traditional qawwali legacy of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, India. Ustad Mehmood Nizami was one of the classical qawwals of Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi, and Ghulam Farid Nizami was his eldest son now leads the group which is very famous in India for their Qawwali singing. Nizami Bandhu hail from the Sikandra Gharana, who despite less known have seen some exceptional singers. Nizami Bandhu continue the legacy and transition that dates back to the Hazrat Amir Khusrow, the founder of Qawwali Sufi music. Nizami Bandhu’s qawwali, like Sabri Brothers, display their immense reverence for Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Hazrat Moeenuddin Chisti.
Nizami Bandhu (نظامی بندھو) now comprise of Chand Nizami on the vocal lead, accompanied by Shadab Faridi and Sohrab Faridi Nizami. They are also known at Nizami Brothers. They rose to greater fame following their singing for Bollywood music legend A.R.Rahman in the movie Rockstar as they made appearance in superhit song Kun Fayakun. They also featured in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, another blockbuster movie, which again popularized them among the masses of India and Pakistan.
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