Jashn-e-Qawwali 5.0:
More than 800 guests gather at Bharat Mandapam for an evening of qawwali and support for vulnerable elders
The room at Bharat Mandapam shifted the moment Kabul Bukhari and his troupe started to sing. Talk died down. People picked up verses they already knew, hands began keeping time, and by the third or fourth song much of the hall was singing along with them.\I was there for the fifth edition of Jashn-e-Qawwali, the annual fundraiser run by the Delhi NGO Wishes and Blessings. More than 800 people came: music lovers, donors, well-wishers, and the residents the money is meant for.
The songs carried the evening. “Saddagi,” “Afreen Afreen,” “Halka Halka Saroor,” “Kali Kali Zulfon Ke” and “Kehna Ghalat Ghalat” drew louder applause as the night went on. People clapped in time, sang the lines they knew, and once the troupe settled into a long stretch, a few got up to dance.Calls of “once more” kept coming from the floor, and nobody seemed in a rush to go home. That has become the pattern at this concert. The qawwali is as much an audience performance as a stage one.The singing was raising money for something specific, though. This year’s fundraiser is for land: Wishes and Blessings wants a permanent home for the current and future residents of Mann Ka Tilak, its old-age home. Those residents were in the hall that evening, sitting among the guests, which kept the cause in the room instead of only on the stage.
Mann Ka Tilak has offered free shelter, care and company to elderly people since 2018, most of whom have been neglected, abandoned or abused. The home runs out of rented premises. The plan is to own a space of its own, so residents have somewhere they can stay.Dr. Geetanjali Chopra, who founded Wishes and Blessings, said she was struck by how far the concert has come since its early years.”It is truly heart-warming to see how Jashn-e-Qawwali, which began as a small organisation initiative, has grown into such a grand celebration. But what is even more special is to witness people from all walks of life come together for our elders. To see society stand united in ensuring that those who once cared for us are themselves cared for, protected and given the dignity they deserve is deeply fulfilling. For me, this is what makes the success of Jashn-e-Qawwali truly meaningful.”
The residents of Mann Ka Tilak were not sitting apart from the crowd or watching from the edge. They were in it, clapping and singing along. It felt like a mehfil rather than a fundraiser, and the reason everyone had shown up was clear enough without anyone spelling it out from the stage.
About Wishes and Blessings
Wishes and Blessings was founded in 2014 by Dr. Geetanjali Chopra. It is a Delhi-based non-profit that works on education, nutrition, elderly care, women’s empowerment and community development.
Its elderly-care programme, Mann Ka Tilak, gives free shelter and support to neglected and abandoned elders in Delhi and Vrindavan. The organisation is raising money to buy land for a permanent home for its current and future residents.
