 Welcome to yet another episode of Power People where we bring you the who's who of the music world and today we have with us Ms. Wussat Iqbal, the torch bearer of the Delhi Garana. Wussat Iqbal Khan and her ensemble Ishke Hakiki is accredited to fusing the artistic treasury of Delhi Garana with Western Music Instrumentation. Doctor of the Khalifa of Delhi Garana Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan, Wussat Iqbal is an ancestry trained Sufi singer and a musical Dastango. Thank you Wussat for joining us. My pleasure. Thank you for having me here. Thank you. You know Sufi of course I mean since for youngsters especially I think they are exposed to Sufi in the modern way when Bollywood for example defined it as a Sufi. First of all tell me about how did you I know that you studied the institution that you studied and I know about it and then how did you get into the Sufi was it dad's influence the family influence give us a little bit of your backstory. Sure so well as you know that I belong to the traditional Delhi Garana music which is the oldest Garana in terms of in classical music because it was founded by Hazrat himself in the 13th century. So my story I have had you know this me getting into Sufi is like a calling which recently very recently happened but I'll tell you how I started and what all I've done before that. So I was an advertising professional. I have done my post graduation in advertising and then I joined Lodestar University as a media planner then I worked with Ministry of Communications as a media consultant there information technology department but yeah and side by side I was helping my father me and my husband Imran we were both helping our father you know in kind of organizing the classical festivals and you know managing him as an artist and stuff so because you know artists are very simple and very you know they they are not they need somebody to you know market them to talk about them to represent them and stuff so we were doing that stuff before me becoming an artist this is like till 2015. So then came a time wherein Abha was Abiji was you know lovingly teaching his female students some I mean for folk compositions and I was sitting there and realized that you know when I spoke with I spoke with him and I told him that you know why don't we kind of do something with these compositions these are the treasure that the Garana has and so we might as well present it to the world and not just limited to you know the classical industry so he liked the idea and he said how do you propose to do that so I suggested a couple of things I said you know we might as well probably create a series for a channel or then came an idea of storytelling and then we thought okay let's use these two art forms and present a like you know create a story around these life cycle compositions that's how my journey as an artist began so I was on stage for the first time as an artist in 2015 when I started the Dastandu musical Dastandu then eventually I used to sing a little bit because you know belonging to a tradition a little bit of singing you know so there I started that journey as an artist so I used to sing in musical Dastandu and other teams too for singing and then in 2020 when my father passed away the most devastating time of my life I didn't know where to go what to do I was all you know suddenly the odds to find my identity as to you know the existential crisis which led me to spiritualism although we belong to a family which was following Sufism spiritualism ever since but for me like it was you know I would look at my father attending the horse and and you know contributing to we were all believing in Peri Peri and Muridi and we were Nizam Dehalyas Murid so that's where the journey of but recently when I lost him and when I just couldn't find myself and the answer why we're all pure and you know the questions like these emergence then my journey of you know to practice Sufism started and I started going to Ajmin to my spiritual Imam there Priyazuddin Shishti and I started going to him that's where the journey of a Sufi practicing Sufi practitioner started and he suggested that you know you have such a repertoire for me to slow and so much that you have in the much like a but you put you know then he told me that why don't you start singing professionally like Sufi go Sufi make a go get ish go because maqsa the mara dunya maya ne ka ish to ish go go dunya to go back on fellow you will get a meaning to your life and this is why you are sent in this boy because everybody comes with a different reason so that's how I started singing Sufi kalams of us at Amir Kusro and I started writing my own songs this is how the journey began absolutely I mean what a journey I would say but at the same time you know getting into the fitting into the shoes of your dad who has been the guru the biggest name did it make you anxious initially that you know you're stepping into something of course I think it comes naturally if you see any you know son or daughter of any big star of course this comes in so was there any anxiety initially that you know there's a huge responsibility to deal with yes there still is I don't know how I'll be able to you know keep up the faith that he saw in me and left everything I don't know I'm scared honestly but the fact that I know that he's around me is my motivation my strength and believe you me what I believe in is that he's hand holding and guiding me and taking me places so I know that I'll be able to do it because he's there besides he's guiding me so I know I whenever I get stuck and I get you know scared or I get a little demotivated with the kind of you know situations that we face as an artist I you know look up at him and I think about him and then I get answers to all my queries and everything and I get a direction also either job so I personally believe it I can totally totally agree that belief is what keeps one going you know it's also beliefs and belief and prayers of course you know they give you a strength you know I wanted to ask you this question the way we look at Sufi music in the popular culture you know we have I mean a song in a film somewhere at the Dargah with a little bit of Udu Shiree and words and we think that is Sufi music is Sufi music being misrepresented by such popular platforms what is your take on that yes absolutely so let me tell you what Sufi music actually is all about anything that connects you to the Almighty to the Divine is Sufi the poetry any poetry any music for that matter you know through which you connect to him that's Sufi music what is happening nowadays is that you know using terms like Allah Malla Khuda doesn't make every song Sufi all right I'm so sorry but this is what I think you are showing the mirror to our industry in a way because this is what is happening you put a word like Malla and Ali and you think we are done with this no that's not how it is so you know it's a Bollywood interpretation of Sufism that you know using heavy Urdu words or you know Malla Khuda can make a song any song with such simplistic terminology like mine the song that I wrote it starts with something which came from my heart very simple Urdu simple Zaban Hindustani we say that I made this song using it and this is Sufi because this is what I wrote for God so if you connect with it then any thing that you connect with that truth is Sufi it doesn't have to be those you know you know the interpretation of people right so I also want to understand from you the current state of independent you know artists like yours you know what is it like I mean in terms of the nature of the industry because I mean I don't see many concerts and Bollywood also has its own chosen few singers the established ones they all if they have to ever do a Sufi again it would be one they see it in a limited way second they will have their own people repeated to do that Sufi so what is the give me people who are part of the Sufi culture among artists give us an idea of what all is happening are they finding enough work what are the challenges they are facing if you could just let us know about a lot of struggle believe me there's a lot of struggle which you know before I joined the industry as an artist I didn't know to be honest because I was on the other side we were the organizers you know try to organize festivals and events for people but ever since I became an artist I've realized that it is very difficult our life of an artist is a struggle it's because artists start you know they're all daily wage owners let me tell you it doesn't matter whether you're an established one or a you know a struggling accompanying artist so you gotta like every day you gotta on for yourself so their own preferences then there are their own groups you gotta either be a part of these groups or to create your own identity it's a lot of challenges there's one more thing that people are covering these days at the level of an artist I mean you gotta give world something new something your own what you stand for your own your own identity your own style which is something that's not happening so I mean if you keep singing the same things that everyone is singing you know that's from an artist perspective you know for an artist but we're organizers staying with you know at my sexual house with a lot of artists around me so I've seen them all struggling till date because and yes unfortunately see an art form always needs to be patronized by government it always has been you know Mughals have been patronized that element of patronization is the need of the art government needs to patronize our arts and the artists they have to there's no escape to it like well I went to different departments and state central government and I requested them because I could see them all coming and begging and you know what not so unfortunately there's been no response you said government support is needed I would also see the private sector you know the biggest sponsors you know which we see a lot of festivals a lot of music you know festivals are around but I haven't seen many with the Sufi team barring a few I mean there are of course some of the platform but you can just count them on your fingers absolutely yeah so you know when this CSR policy is in all under that category in fact a lot of people believe when you have to when you got to do something for CSR under your you know organization CSR budget it has to be something tangible which people can see you know toilet so art and culture preservation people don't really consider it to be a Bado CSR which it very much is you know there are a lot of organizations who have when we do events and they used to go and they used to say that this is important you should patronize it so they don't think that we donate and we do this so we used to say that if you don't preserve this art form then it will be over then the new generation in bringing the artists who come to the house these traditions which you know generation period and period are bringing their people to this art form they will also be afraid because you know if they don't force the good fortune for the kids so they'll always be apprehensive to bring them right you know tell me the current state of affairs of independent artists especially the Sufi genre if I may talk about what about new talent and those who want to go to this you know become artists Sufi artists I mean are they discouraged by what they are seeing happening right now what are you observing no I think a lot of new talent is coming in there they're see the other thing that I'll bring here is actually you got to be around your teacher you do youtube you so the kind of Devoted students that I used to see in my father's time they are not there anymore Honestly, there are very few people who think that they should learn 5 compositions from YouTube like Khalsaab, Adli Khalsaab or KKB and then start performing on stage So, you take it as much as you want that your originality ends there You need a teacher So, they are coming today, but if they are either learning or coming, then things will be different But the ones who are not learning, they have the same suggestion that find a good teacher, learn from him because that is very important, this is the work of Riyazat You got to practice all throughout your life to become an artist You got to give yourself to it This is worship And Sufi mosque is also worship This is a part of Alliyah Ambiyan has created the mosque, the Samah for his worship So, this is also worship So, you cannot commercialize it Because this is a very different tip and beyond a different talk, that requirement is that the environment is like this, that everyone is going to listen to you People are coming, new students, new children are coming I think even today, Bollywood has contributed a lot It is a trend, right? Yeah, I agree But I hope we get the true essence of Sufi music Even if Bollywood or any other platform Yeah, and also clubs are promoting Sufi music, Kobani and clubs like that They are encouraging new artists and giving them platforms to perform Was it a lot of logo for Mildra? Which is a good thing that they are doing I will ask my final question and I will request Ujjith Sweet to come in with her quick questions So, what is lined up on the work front now? I mean, what all is lined up? Yes, a couple of interesting things One, a couple of my new songs will be released very soon Two, my debut song, Ishki Haafi Ki will be in Nessiruddin Shah's movie which will be releasing I think next month Next month or early next month in December Thirdly, we are planning our annual festival, Dillidabad very soon which is a beautiful concept that we worked on me, my husband Imran and my father which is also I would like to tell you a little bit about that It is called Dillidabad Back to Classics where we try to bring the youth to the Indian classical art forms and make it an in-thing for them So, we organise cultural performances, leg dams panel discussions, workshops and there is a dedicated Old Delhi food festival and there is a culture bazaar So, the ambience of, you know, to give that atmosphere that we are trying to give to the youth and the first time of Dillidabad that we did we had around 30,000 people attended in the span of two days and 80% of them were youth So, you know, people keep saying that kids and youngsters don't like classical music or classical art forms but I just think that it needs to be presented to them packaged to them in a way that they connect with it That's what we are trying to do when we are getting an amazing response These are the things that we are planning So, Ojasvi, my colleague is here and you guys met the other day also Ojasvi, over to you Hi, hi So, apart from music what is your favourite book, current favourite book? What is my current favourite book that you would like to read? Oh, the book In fact, there is a book that I am working on myself which is on I will tell you about that also Yes, I will tell you about that So, this is a book that based on the research of my father on Amir Khusro's music and a coffee table book that I am working on and Amir Khusro's rich cultural contribution to the folk tradition to classical tradition to the Sufi tradition which is something that people are not aware of because when you talk about Amir Khusro, you only know say, Chaptilag and at the maximum, Malkuntumala but he is much, much more than that his contribution is unparalleled So, I am trying to bring a kind of a comfortable book on his music his contribution to Virani music, to Nisani music and his folk composition Sehri Sohaag, Bandaragi, Savanji, Kehma Karnia along with a CD of 50 of his rare compositions That's great, that's great So, apart from Sufi music what are the genres you listen to? That's interesting I listen to everything I love classical because I have been born into this family I love instrumental music I love Bollywood as well In fact, the classic Dore Thaab, that song is very beautiful So, any favorites you have? A lot of them Lakhja Galle, such a beautiful classic Then, I like some Yes, I like razzles So, Fadha Khanam Sahiba's razzle Today's Jani Ki Zidna Karo Mary Asan Sahab, these are all legends of Ranjishi Saeed So, these are my razzles These are two lines also of your favorite song Okay Yes Today's Jani Ki Zidna Karo Now, I am sitting here Sorry Because, you know, Delhi's condition is very bad I know I am a singer I don't have to I don't have to go out of the room because there is so much dust around Pollution around Jani Ki Zidna Karo Thank you Great Thank you so much Ujusvi and Ujusvi, thank you so much for taking out time and our endeavor at Loudest where my Ujusvi, my colleague and my team, you know and our endeavor at Loudest where my Ujusvi my colleague and my team, you know we want to make it a true platform to voice all the ecosystem concerns and stories, celebrate everything and Sufi music, of course when we see it's state of affairs we feel that it needs to be spoken about the challenges need to be addressed and this is one of the steps in that direction and we will do in fact much more InshaAllah Thank you so much for taking out time and joining us on this episode My pleasure, thank you so much Lovely talking to you