"Ishq-e-Dilli" Light and Sound show, Old Fort, Delhi

Characters bigger than life and constituting numerous legendary tales are whom you get to meet in history – megalomaniac emperors, cunning conniving ministers, simplistic peasants, sorcerer conjurer saints, warmongering generals and powerful loyal eunuch lords – there is no dearth of such fascinating characters in the unimaginably vast Indian history. And Delhi’s territorial history and the stories of its sultanates and dynasties are only a fraction of the gigantic thread that defines the entire Indian chronological lore. It would reasonably take over a lifetime to collate and study only Delhi’s tumultuous history that stretches several millennia back to ancient citadels and near-mythical kingdoms, to gaze through it in one hour is near impossible – but that is exactly what the renowned “Ishq-e-Dilli” (“Romancing Delhi”) sound and light show at the magnificent medieval citadel of Old Fort attempts to achieve. 

"Ishq-e-Dilli"

The imaginatively titled show takes a viewer through a whirlwind tour beginning from the Hindu Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan whose defeat, capture and subsequent execution by Afghan-Turk Muslim armies is the stuff of legends and bardic traditions, most notably Chand Bardai’s “Prithviraj Raso”, to the establishment of the Islamic rule in Indian subcontinent and the dramatic game of musical chairs that was played in rapid succession by numerous intervening short-lived emperors, and finally the advent of British colonial administration just before India’s freedom struggle and division into two separate sovereign entities. The stunning and well-calibrated utilization of visual scenes drawn from numerous chapters of Delhi’s history, portrayed on the massive “Humayun Darwaza” gateway of the fortress are indescribably captivating – so endearing is the depiction, brilliantly combined with vibrantly colorful theatrics, timely narration and the overall direction, that for an hour viewers are literally left spellbound and captivated by Delhi’s enchanting history.

Welcome to Delhi, the city of cities

The ruined gateway, with its numerous associated arched chambers and surmounting chattris, appears eerily ominous in the starless cloudy night with only the bright moon for company and brings to mind the numerous stories about it being considered cursed following Emperor Humayun’s demise here, but frames, with a finesse, the interesting array of scores of kings, numerous bloody battles and the rise and fall of several of Delhi’s medieval citadels. Most of the visual depictions are emphasized by the gateway’s architectural features, especially the initial dance sequences where the dancers convincingly appear to whirl and hide behind the pillars.

The majestic capital of scores of Sultans

The history and the characters are at times celebrated and at times rued, the battles described mournfully and the tragic loss of several thousand lives deplored (in one case, by showing huge glittering doe-eyes arising from an expanding blood splatter framed by deep blue – it takes a few moments of silence to hammer in the conception that the fortress has literally disappeared behind the astounding visuals), the several cities that make up Delhi are adoringly described as if the narrator longs to reside in each of them at different times of their being – in fact, to my surprise, there is even mention of Kilokheri, the small short-lived fortress capital of Sultan Muizuddin Kaiqabad (ruled AD 1287-90), that was ruined and recycled by later Sultans to furnish building materials for their own capitals and now only survives in stories and legends. Rapidly hastening towards the present, visitors are introduced to almost every facet of Delhi’s history, from the legendary feud between the mighty Ghazi Malik Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq and the adorable saint Hazrat Nizamuddin to the less interesting later Mughals and including a brief stopover at the mythical city Indraprastha that existed at the site of Old Fort almost 5000 years ago, and all this while the radiant laser projection show flashes hundreds of images and animated movements of emperors and armies, elephants and horse-mounted warriors, dancers and common men, daggers and fire, rainfall and vegetation, rise and collapse.

A city that has fallen and risen from its own ashes numerous times like an immortal phoenix

The visuals pertaining to the freedom struggle and its heroes are exceedingly realistic and for a few seconds it appears that the ruined walls of the fortress have been imprinted with actual photographs. If that’s not enough, the monotony is broken by two songs, slightly long in my opinion – one a beautiful Sufi number “Nizamuddin” by Kailash Kher, and the other, one of the most touching renditions of Amir Khusro’s “Chaap Tilak Sab Cheeni” that I have heard by Rekha Bhardwaj – and it is scarce believable that long after the show was over, the images of the protagonists of the song, a Sufi dervish draped in red and white beseeching Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and a beautiful singer-dancer with Kohl-rimmed eyes and gold adornments, continued to flash in front of our eyes. 

The city of devotees, lovers and beauty

Though photography was a bit of an issue given that it is extremely difficult to get superior photographs in such low light conditions and there were numerous scenes where a cityscape was revealed only as an outline or a major historical event was depicted with nominal lightning, but Mr Adarsh, the show’s manager, was extremely cooperative and permitted our club, Delhi Instagramer’s Guild (DIG), to organize the fortnightly instawalk in the fort premises and bring tripods within (which are otherwise prohibited at all monument complexes unless one pays an exorbitant charge). A very polite man, extremely well-spoken and understanding of the needs of photographers and history writers, Mr Adarsh made us begin to love the show even before we had stepped into the fortress compound. The superbly-researched show was to be prepared for the Commonwealth Games that Delhi hosted in 2010, but could only be readied by January 2011 – it has mostly been scripted with collaboration from history professors at JNU and is run by Indian Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC) Ashok Hotel Group. 

Also the hub of education, learning and instruction

It was nearly house full for the Sunday evening Hindi show (7-8 pm), but we saw only a couple of foreigners lining up for the English installment (8:30-9:30 pm) and if that’s the situation on a weekend, it appears that weekdays would be even worse off, which is rather sorry since the impressive show has been so thoroughly researched and innovatively designed and directed, and the visuals incredibly creative and unbelievably grand, that one couldn’t stop wishing that more people took an interest and the daily event was better marketed and advertised (even though the entire video and the individual songs have been made available on youtube) – where else would one get such amazing and highly informative value for their money? The best part is that the entire visual scheme has been so painstakingly calibrated that the entire fortress gateway appears to be one gigantic magical screen and nowhere does the highly varied texture of the walls prove to be a hindrance for the surrealistic viewing pleasure; the acoustics are equally remarkable, especially the heavy baritones that seem to ring in the ear and permeate all sounds even days after the show. 

Hallowed by its numerous saints and their monasteries and tombs

The event is considered amongst the foremost in the country, and is highly recommended by the Delhi Instagramer’s Guild team who remain indebted to the “Ishq-e-Dilli” team for the permissions and cooperation they heartily extended.

Show timings: September to October: 7.00-8.00 pm (Hindi), 8.30-9.30 pm (English); November to January: 6.00-7.00 pm (Hindi), 7.30-8.30 pm (English); February to April: 7.00-8.00 pm (Hindi), 8.30-9.30 pm (English); May to August: 7.30-8.30 pm (Hindi), 9.00-10.00 pm (English). The Hindi show is far superior in my opinion.
Entrance fees: Rs 80/person (Rs 40 for children up to the age of 12 years, differently abled and senior citizens). Tickets are available from the fortress’ ticket counter and can be purchased up to an hour before the show’s start.
Nearest metro station: Pragati Maidan
How to reach: The fortress is connected to different parts of the city by a regular bus service – the bus stop is located immediately opposite the ticket counter. One can walk/avail an auto/bus from the metro station if coming by metro. Parking facility is also available.
Photography/Video charges: Nil. Flash prohibited.
Contact: 011-24307539 (for information)

Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah complex
2. Pixelated Memories - Old Fort
3. Pixelated Memories - Tughlaqabad fortress complex

Have a look - 

1. Youtube.com - Old Fort Light and Sound show (Hindi - 20 minutes)
2. Youtube.com - Old Fort Light and Sound show (English - 51 minutes)

DIG Instawalk - Qawwali Mehfil at Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Through narrow alleys and past the whiffs of incense and the aroma of kebabs, in our latest installment of regular, curated Instawalks, Delhi Instagramers Guild headed to the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya where time itself seems to have stuck to a medieval-era and the vibrance of intricately embroidered chaddars and the texture of fresh pink petals is a constant companion. Projected purpose of the walk was to attend the qawwali session; several of us had the ulterior motive of gorging on the mouth-watering tandoori dishes and chicken and mutton preparations available in the bazaar surrounding the dargah. Unarguably one of the most historic and religious complex throughout the city and one of the most revered Sufi shrine in the subcontinent, the dargah plays host to the famed Qawwali mehfil every Thursday evening to pay respects to the adored Khwaja.

DIG goes to Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah (Photo credit and poster design - Sahil Ahuja (@pixelatedmemories)) 

Though we had all heard about the qawwalis and the recognition that some of the singers had received in cult movies and print media, none of us were prepared for the huge crowds that gather at the shrine every week for the mehfil as well as the free food that is distributed thereafter. This time around, we had allowed Sahil full sovereignty when it came to the planning, promotion and curating the walk. And so it was definitely a big day for him. In fact we (the admins) were a little nervous since it was also our first time there for the qawwali and also because often times the session is canceled without prior information. A bit apprehensive as more people showed up than we had expected (being a weekday almost everyone had office and we could only give them a couple days notice!), we walked from Humayun’s Tomb parking to the dargah sniffing at the food around, eyeing the choicest cuts of chicken that were skewing on the fire all around us and taking in the colors and the blur that humanity had become in the overcrowded, congested, narrow alleys. People eyed us with surprise; probably the sheer number of DSLRs and phone cameras got their heads turning! The group decided to disperse from the alley and assemble later at the dargah after clicking the bazaar that glimmered with vibrance of chaddars and the luster of ornamental bronze and silverwork and resounded in our ears with the words of devotional music being played in portable players. We had planned to have a short history discussion near the tomb of Amir Khusro but when we finally reached (or shall we say were pushed inside by the waves of devotees), it dawned that it would be easier to pay our respects first and later gather for the discussion. Of course, a few calls were made and we looked for the ones we knew in the crowded fair place that the dargah seemed to have morphed into!

Watching humanity turn into a blur (Photo credit - Rahul Jain (@rjclick))

We never imagined that the place was going to be swarming with devotees. The queue of devotees waiting to get inside Amir Khusro’s tomb was so long that it took us almost 30 minutes. We adorned it with chaddar and flowers bought from the bazaar outside. As mentioned in the previous posts (refer links in the post footer), womenfolk are not allowed within the two tombs and the ladies of the DIG family waited patiently outside for the guys to return from the tombs. Meanwhile, the qawwali had started in the courtyard while some of us were still stuck in the queue within Khusro’s small, bejeweled tomb; and a few of the late comers were still busy photographing the bazaar. Thankfully, most of the members were able to attend the qawwali, although it was a really short session – Chand Nizami and Shadab Nizami, two of the most famous devotional singers in the country and the most revered in the Sufi music scene, had themselves led the session, belting out the “Kun Faaya Kun” track from the critically-acclaimed Bollywood movie “Rockstar”. Those still struck in Khusro’s tomb were cut out from the outside because of the space constraint as well as the press of people and chatter around and could only catch some strains of harmonium and tabla being played. By the time all the group members gathered, qawwali had already ended.

Devotion and music (Photo credit - Rohan Madan (@rohanwildermadan))

Once we located everyone, we decided to sit close to the walls of the massive Jamaat Khana mosque where we discussed in detail the lives of Amir Khusro and the Khwaja, their devotion and foresightedness, the invention of Qawwali as a form of Sufi music by Khusro, and the socio-historic evolution of the dargah complex and the entire heritage zone around it. What most of the members found interesting were the legends of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s ability to gaze into the future and control mythical creatures like djinns and dwarves; almost everyone was surprised to know that the tomb enclosures near where we sat housed the remains of a princess (Jahanara Begum) and an emperor (Muhammad Shah “Rangila”) of the country. What was more fascinating (rather morbid because of the shrill shouts that accompanied) was an exorcism that was being performed in the dark and narrow space between the mosque and the tomb enclosure – much to the amusement of others, a few of us were perennially glued there to observe the scenes. Of course, we spared not a single occasion to tease them through the rest of the evening!! One thing that we really abhorred about the complex was the frequency of beggars. There was no relief from them – anywhere you go, any side you turn, they were there! Some would ask once or twice before moving on whilst others would pester, harass and talk with authority as if we were the ones supplicating before them. Some would even badmouth or question our intentions when they weren’t given alms – worst being the sajjdanashins (caretakers of the tomb and descendants of the Auliya through his sister’s side). They too made some foul statements when donations weren’t made – might have been just a mood-spoiler had we not respected the Auliya and his spiritual legacy as much as we did – the sajjdanashins totally lost our respect and adoration.

Glitter glimmer - The Auliya's tomb (Photo courtesy - Mohit Sehgal (@pinkupanther))

The next qawwali session was supposed to start at 10:00 pm but most of the DIGers had left by then since it was getting late; the crowds, the pushes and the shoves made it impossible to click the group photograph too. When the qawwali didn’t begin by 10.15, we decided to call it a day and left the dargah to check out the food scene outside. The numerous eateries and roadside joints that line the roads leading up to the dargah were totally clogged with people, cannot even begin to describe the width and spectrum of the crowd that seemed to fill up the roads and alleys and the buildings to the seams. But as one of the foremost (and the most important) rule of Delhi Instagramers Guild states – an Instawalk has to end with a foodwalk, no matter what, we headed to New Friend’s Colony nearby to feast on shawarma rolls and chicken tandoori at Al bake.

Vibrance and colors - The Dargah bazaar (Photo credit - Sahil Ahuja (@pixelatedmemories))

The funniest part was when a few of us decided to get clicked with skullcaps on – the faces and expressions of those being clicked and the jokes we cracked on their expense had us split with peals of laughter. Despite all the constraints and the milling crowds and even the troubles with clicking good photographs that we faced, the Instawalk did prove to be a unique experience filled with transcendental music, Sufi ambiance and delectable food riding high along with a dose of history, photography and companionship – an evening that will be remembered. That’s how we live, that’s how we DIG – now eagerly planning and waiting for the next installment of DIG Instawalk. Stay tuned for more. Join us on our Fb page (www.facebook.com/groups/delhi.igers) and follow us on Instagram (www.instagram.com/delhi_igers) for more. And as we like to say, keep DIGing!
Adios

Assalam valeikum! (Photo credit - Prateek Ahuja (@purplekarma))

Previous posts regarding Hazrat Nizamuddin's Dargah - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Amir Khusro & his Tomb
2. Pixelated Memories - Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
3. Pixelated Memories - Jahanara Begum's Tomb

The Admin team - 

1. Hitika Paul Ahuja - Hitika.wordpress.com and Instagram.com/funjabi
2. Prateek Ahuja - Purple-karma.com and Instagram.com/purplekarma
3. Tarun Bidani - Instagram.com/travellertales
4. Vipul Raghav - Instagram.com/vapsyraghav
5. Sahil Ahuja