At Jahan-e-Khusrau, PM Modi Lauds India's Rich Sufi Traditions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday celebrated India's Sufi traditions, citing the inclusiveness and syncretic nature of stalwarts such as Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro to say that it reflected India's rich and diverse heritage.

- Snehil Sinha

NEW DELHI:

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of the annual Sufi music festival, Jahan-e-Khusrau, in Delhi, Modi wished citizens on the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan and underlined his record as Gujarat chief minister in restoring the western state's main nodes of Sufi tradition, specifically the Sarkhej Roza.

"In India, Sufi traditions have made a name for themselves. Sufi seers didn't limit themselves to mosques; if they read the holy Quran, they also read the Vedas. They added the sweetness of Bhakti songs to Azaan," he said at an event in south Delhi's Sunder Nursery.

"Sufi music is our shared heritage; we have lived it together," he added.

The Prime Minister, in his 15-minute address, said that Sarkhej Roza—a Sufi mosque and tomb complex near Ahmedabad—was restored to its present glory in Gujarat when he was the chief minister. He added that Krishnotsav was celebrated with much fanfare there and the Nazar-e-Krishna performance at Jahan-e-Khusrau reminded him of it.

He reminisced about Khusrau's verses on heaven on earth, calling India a part of that vision, where diverse cultures have thrived.