India, May 28 -- Dispatch on India's most famous qawwal

At 64, Chand Nizami is beginning a new chapter. After performing for more than two decades with his nephews Shadab and Sohrab as part of the celebrated Nizami Bandhu qawwali group, the veteran qawwal says he will now perform separately. "I'll no longer be seen with my nephews," he says. "I want to start new innings." Plus, his three sons have grown into young men, and he wants to sing with them instead. He describes his sons as pioneers in "techno qawwali."

The decision marks a significant shift in the world of qawwali at Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, among the most important centres of Sufism. Qawwali, the music of the Sufi tradition, has been performed in the Central Delhi sh...