Qawwali calling
We speak to Nisa Azeezi, probably the only woman qawwali singer from Kerala, who has brought out two albums, in Urdu and Malayalam
I love the music of yore more than the new generation ones
NISA AZEEZI, SINGER
Wafting through the air with a mystical, soothing effect, qawwali singing has always left us mesmerised; be it in new-age Bollywood movies or goose-bumpraising live performances of singers like the Ali Khans. However, having a woman, that too from down south in Kerala, enter the genre of singing cannot be viewed without a little amazement, as qawwali singing in itself is not very popular there. When asked about her surprising entry, Nisa Azeezi’s (an established qawwali singer in her own right, from Malappuram), voice mellows down, filled with thankfulness and satisfaction.
“The credit goes to my husband Mustafa Deshamangalam, a documentary filmmaker and admirer of Sufism, who opined that my voice suits it the best. Till then, I used to give live ghazal performances. I have been conducting concerts for more than ten years now and entered into qawwali four years ago,” says Nisa, who also has two ghazal albums to her credit and has performed on numerous stages. “Now, at my concerts, many people ask for encores of qawwali numbers, even when they don’t know much about the genre in itself. Also, many young boys and girls come to me asking for an opportunity to sing along, regaled by qawwali,” she observes. Nisa’s sister Thabassunneesa is her co-singer at concerts.
Hailing from a musical family, Nisa got trained in Hindustani music at a tender age. Her father, M A Azeez, ran the orchestra — Rag Tharang, in Malappuram and Nisa lovingly recalls the music programmes her dad used to take her to, where she discovered her affection for the magical Hindustani.
She takes extra effort to get trained by travelling to Mangalore, as per the convenience of her guru Ustad Rafiq Khan, once or twice every month. Nisa has also done a course in Hindustani at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Mumbai, and has learned under the tutelage of many other musicians, of different gharanas. She is a teacher at MES Higher Secondary School, Tirur in Malappuram, and has also composed the prayer song of the school.
Ask her if she is interested in entering tinsel town and she says, “I do have the interest. However, I love the music of yore more than the new generation ones, as the old songs still retain their charm.”