It was all yellow: At Nizamuddin dargah, centuries-old Basant Panchami celebrations | Delhi News
by themoneyoffice2.com@gmail.com February 17, 2024 · Old Peoples Celebrations
On Wednesday, the centuries-old Nizamuddin Dargah was draped in a carpet of yellow. From flowers at the shops lining the streets leading to the shrine to the turbans and scarves adorning the visitors, the colour was hard to miss. The occasion? Basant Panchami celebrations, which drew in people from all faiths.
“I have seen nothing like this before. It is so vibrant and colourful,” exclaimed William, a media professional from Kansas, US, as he basked in the festival welcoming spring.
He was accompanied by his friend Anand from California, who said: “I have my roots in Hyderabad so, Hindu-Muslim integration is not new for me. But what I witnessed here, Hindu celebrations on the premises of a mosque, is something very unique,” said Anand, referring to the Khilji-era mosque on the premises.
According to Sufi Ajmal Nizami, a custodian of the dargah, the tradition could be dated back to 700 years ago.
“This was around the time when Nizamuddin Aulia had lost his dear nephew. He was very upset and had stopped smiling. One day, his disciple, poet Amir Khusro, was on his way back from Mehrauli when he spotted a group of farm labourers merrily making their way to a temple… with mustard flowers in hand, and yellow scarves around their necks. They told Khusro they were going to convey their gratitude to the deity for a good spring harvest. Khusro then borrowed a scarf, tied it around his head like a turban, and walked all the way to his ustad, singing couplets of spring that he had created on the way. ‘I am doing all this to make you smile’, Khusro told the Sufi saint. And indeed, Nizamuddin Aulia smiled, finally, after six months. Since then, this celebration has become an annual tradition.”
The premises was abuzz with activity all through the day, starting with the presentation of yellow chadar on the graves of the Sufi saint and Khusro and culminating in qawwali in the evening.
On what makes the Basant Pancahmi qawwali different from the regular ones the dargah has become synonymous with, Nizami said, “The qawwalis presented today are exclusively dedicated to the spring. You will not hear them on any other day of the year. These qawwalis are the same ones created by Amir Khusro all those years ago.”
Some of the qawwalis included “sakal bann phool rahi sarson” and “aaj basant mana le”.
Anuradha Sabharwal, a Noida-based Yoga practitioner, said it was her third visit. “My husband has a transferable job which takes us around the country. But I still try and come here as many times as I can,” said Sabharwal, who also teaches Gita through online classes.
Another teacher, who also goes by the name Anuradha, said it was her second Basant Panchmi visit to the dargah, and at least the 15th visit to the premises overall. “I believe in Sufism. The last time I came here, it was far more peaceful and organised. Today, I found it a bit chaotic with so many people arriving. Nevertheless, it is always an uplifting experience to be here,” she said.
According to Nizami, at least 30,000 people visited the dargah, higher than the daily count of 8,000-10,000.
