Rajasthan: International Sufi Rang Festival 2022 concludes in Ajmer

Ajmer (Rajasthan) [India], October 8 : The closing ceremony of the International Sufi Rang Festival 2022 was held on Friday in Ajmer in which the festival brought together not just Sufi artists and calligraphers but also writers, senior journalists, well-known filmmakers and musicians of great repute.
In the closing ceremony after the Friday prayer, a crowd of shrine visitors turned up at the festival which welcomed and felicitated the famous filmmaker Imtiyaz Ali and prominent singer Mohit Chauhan.

They spoke about their inner spiritual journey of rising beyond the mundane affairs in their divine love cleansing the internal self. Imtiyaz Ali began his talk with a famous couplet of Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi: "What you seek is seeking you", which was the tagline of Shahrukh Khan-starrer Jab Harry Met Sejal, a romantic movie written and directed by Ali.
"Cinema is one of the most important and influential art forms today which has fairly contributed to the dissemination of universal values of Sufism through mystical music", Ali concluded.

Singer Mohit Chauhan known for his best work and soulful Sufi songs in Hindi films sang the famous spiritual lyrics "O Nadaan Parindey Ghar Aa Jaa" from the super-duper hit Rockstar. "This was a tribute to Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz and his message of unconditional love which echoes throughout the movie", he said.
Senior journalist Rishi Suri, Editor in Chief of the Daily Milap News organisation, was also honoured for Peace Initiatives through media dialogues by Khuddam-e-Khwaja.
In addition, Anshdeep, District Collector of Ajmer Sharif and Ricky Kej, the world music composer and Grammy Award Winner, Imran Chishty Khwajgani and the Sarv Dharm Maitria Sanstha were also felicitated.
Dargah Ajmer Sharif Gaddi Nashin Haji Syed Salman Chishty, the organizer and conceiver of the festival and Chairman of Chishty Foundation, extended a vote of thanks to all artists, participants and distinguished guests of the ISRF-2022.
In his conclusive remarks, he said that art is the mirror of culture and the epitome of society. Sufi is a lover of art because art attracts everyone without discrimination. Culture binds us in a thread of love.
"Ajmer District Collector was conferred Global Peace Award with City SP ChunaRam Jat. Several seniors of the Anjuman Syedzadgan, Shaikhzadghan, Khuddam-e-Khwaja Saheb including Anjuman President Haji Ghulam Kibriya Chishty, Syed Munnawar Chishty, Syed Hasan Hashmi, Syed Ghaffar Kazmi, Syed Nawaz Chishty, Syed Aslam Chishty, Syed Zahid Hussian Chishty, Dargah Committee Members Assistance Nazim Mr Shadab Hussain, along with Chishty Sufi Community members were also among the eminent guests from civil society, Ajmer District Officials, Collectorate Representatives and Municipal Corporations Officials, Dargah Committee Representatives, Radha Soami Satsang Ajmer District officials and interfaith leaders of Sarv Daram Maitri Sanstha, Ajmer City also attended the opening and closing ceremonies of the 15th International Sufi Rang Festival," read an official statement.
The ISRF is the largest spiritual celebration of the Sacred Arts of Sufism in India. It has evolved into a distinctive art exhibition over the years, bringing together renowned calligraphers, painters, curators, and visual artists from all over the country and other continents of the world.
The ISRF was conceived by Haji Syed Salman Chishty of Ajmer Sharif. It has been hosted and organised by Chishti Foundation for the past 15 years inside the 800-year-old majestic Sufi courtyard at Dargah Ajmer Sharif, known as Mahfil-e-Samaa Khana (spiritual audition hall).
Every year, the International Sufi Rang Festival honours Divine Love with sacred arts, calligraphic inscriptions, spiritual Sufi musical performances, poetry, conferences on Sufism, and debate for world peace, interfaith harmony, and national harmony.
"The Festival has been promoting the pluralistic practises of the Chishti Sufi Order among its devotees and followers throughout India, South Asia, and different countries around the world. These practices are based on the fundamental Chishti principles and noble teachings of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti Gharib Nawaz (R.A), particularly "Love for all, malice towards none," and "Serving all Creations of God with Unconditional Love," read an official statement.
The final day of the 15th International Sufi Rang Festival (ISRF) in Ajmer Sharif was marked by extraordinary enthusiasm on the part of the distinguished Guests of Honour as well as the audience, which included academicians, scholars, writers, well-known Sufi artists, and calligraphers from about 40 states in India. There were also visual contributions from artists from 32 different countries who were of Arabic and Persian descent.
While seminars on calligraphy inscriptions and the captivating display of mystical Sufi arts went on all day in the Mahfil Khana of the Dargah Ajmer Sharif, the glorious night of the 10th Rabi-ul-Awwal marked a significant turning point in the history of the annual Sufi Rang Festival.
Through their spectacular encounters and public statements, a wide range of film industry superstars, government officials, media producers, and literary personalities demonstrated their fervent enthusiasm for the mystical Sufi arts on this occasion.
On the seventh day of the ISRF, Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Gaddi Nashin at Dargah Ajmer Sharif and chairman of Chishty Foundation, extended the vote of thanks to all the dignitaries who took part in the evening session, which was moderated by Mr. Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, an author and Indo-Islamic scholar.
Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and the event's chief guest, praised the initiative as a fantastic attempt to bolster the social fabric of the country. He asserted that the person who actively participates in social and humanitarian service with unwavering dedication is a true Sufi. He declared, "A Chishti is the one who embraces one and all irrespective of caste, creed and culture."
Muzaffar Ali, a well-known filmmaker, poet, and cultural revivalist spoke eloquently about sacred arts and aesthetics. He referred to Islamic spirituality as it is revealed in the holy Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophets, including the well-known Hadith that states, "Allah is the Most Beautiful and [therefore] He Loves the Beauty." He discussed every facet of the Sufi perspective on beauty and aesthetics in his brief but insightful discourse.
Padma Shri Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, a well-known classical Dhrupad singer from India, praised the Sufi Rang Festival and emphasised the necessity for ongoing efforts to promote the significance of cultural festivity and plurality through the holy arts, particularly the heartfelt Sufi music. The current 15th International Sufi Rang Festival saw a mixed crowd of artists and academics, bureaucrats and filmmakers mesmerised by the 20th generation modern Dhrupad vocal master, who has been performing beautiful forms of Dhrupad as his family tradition and holding concerts in India and abroad.
Blending patient phrases with fine rhythmic control and an effortless vocal elasticity, Ustad Dagar left the audience spellbound, reminding them of his father, noted Dhrupad singer Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar. Dhrupad, one of the oldest classical traditions still in existence today, may be traced back to the 15th century when a Dagar served as a court musician for the Mughal Emperor Akbar.