The fragrance of the mogra is in the air. Guests lounge on four-poster beds with brocade cushions. Waiters clad in black shalwar kurtas and white crochet caps glide by carrying sherbets, besides the usual whisky and vodka, on trays. On a November evening, a hall in a Delhi five-star hotel has been redone to resemble a courtyard from the Mughal era for the qawwali night of fitness guru Vandana Luthra’s daughter Pallavi’s wedding. The 200-odd guests chat politely but everyone’s attention is focused on the platform decorated with sheer silver curtains, where a 31-member qawwali troupe sing lustily to the sounds of a harmonium and the electric guitar. The lead singer is resplendent in a red shalwar kameez, with a topi naughtily perched on her head. The members of her team, dressed in black satin, occasionally throw out a yellow handkerchief with a flourish. The guests, dressed in colourful ghararas and frock-style kurtas, clap at yet another rendition of Inhi logo ne.

The sangeet, an integral part of the great Indian wedding, had better watch out. It’s in danger of being upstaged by qawwali and mujra nights, now a regular feature in weddings where budgets are not an issue. No, you don’t hear the verse of Sufi poets like Rumi or Faiz; instead the 700-year-old vibrant musical tradition has got a Bollywood gloss.

The qawwals’ renditions of popular film songs, accompanied by mujra dancers, have struck a chord with wedding revellers. “This theme goes perfectly with the grand Indian wedding,” explains Meher Sarid, a wedding planner with Sound Of Music Entertainment, who, in the last year, has worked on over 15 qawwali nights at weddings across India. Recently, for the wedding of the relative of a former Delhi governor, trained kathak dancers from Jaipur and Delhi performed mujras to popular Bollywood tracks for the ‘Pakeezah Night’. Hiring a qawwali team or dancers for a mujra night can cost between Rs 50,000 and Rs 3 lakh. “If you have Bollywood stars or playback singers performing at a wedding, the attention gets deflected from the bride and groom,” says Amrish Pershad, another Delhi wedding planner.

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