‘Tis the season to be jolly!
It’s that time of the year that family and friends get together, exchange gifts, eat great food, sing and generally spread Christmas cheer!
You might have heard of Qawwalis, an energetic performance of Sufi Muslim poetry, that aims to lead listeners to a state of religious ecstasy.
So you ask why we’re talking about qawwalis in an article about Christmas?
Because here is a qawwali with a twist! In a rendition by Mayookh Bhaumik, Jingle Bells meets tabla, sitar, the harmonium and more.
The rendition starts the same way a qawwali does and follows the same structure, except it doesn’t use the verses by Rumi or Amir Khusrau, but effortlessly slips into Jingle Bells, the first song that we are reminded of when we think of Christmas music – a song that transcends boundaries, religions even.
Mayookh, a percussionist and EDM artist, helms this rendition, effortlessly switching between the harmonium and the tabla, while the piece retains the energy and structure of a qawwali.
“It began as a fun thing. The idea of some Hindu boys getting together and singing a Muslim form of music for a Christian holiday was quite interesting. It wasn’t or isn’t a political statement. But, when I did get the idea to treat the famed carol differently, it was so interesting that I just couldn’t resist,” Mayookh told the Indian Express.
The video, released a week ago on Facebook, has already garnered almost two lakh views and has been shared over 5,000 times. Many social media users couldn’t help but fall in love with this rendition.
“I could love this over and over again!” wrote one user, while another described it as “unbelievably beautiful.”
You can watch the video here:
But this time around, Mayookh isn’t the only one performing a Christian song in a Muslim format by Hindus. Just recently, singer TM Krishna sang the verses of Tamil Sufi singer Nagoor Hanifa at an Anglican Church in Mumbai and ended with an invocation to Allah!