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Mehfil (also spelled ''mahfil'') is a formal venue where indoor recreational activities such as
Mehfil (also spelled ''mahfil'') is a formal venue where indoor recreational activities such as poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
(mushaira
''Mushaira'' ( ur, , Mušā'ira) is a poetic symposium. It is an event (called ''mehfil'', Mushairi) where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is part of the Culture of North India, Pakistan and the Deccan, particularly among the Hy ...
), singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
, and dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
are entertained in parts of the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. It is part of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb
''Ganga–Jamuni Tehzeeb'' ( Hindustani for ''Ganges–Yamuna Culture''), also spelled as ''Ganga-Jamni Tehzeeb'' or just Hindustani Tehzeeb, is the high culture that arose in the Yamuna-Gangetic plains of northern India, the Hindustan region ...
culture.
Historically, ''mehfil''s were presented in the homes or palaces of Muslim royalty or noblemen, who acted as these artists' patrons. Mehfils are also an integral part of the Hyderabadi Muslim
Hyderabadi Muslims, also referred to as Hyderabadis are a community of Deccani people, who are part of a larger ethnic group of Urdu-speaking Muslims, from the area that used to be the princely state of Hyderabad in the regions of Marathwada ...
community, and used as a way of unity among them, all around the world.
Today they are generally held in the homes of especially avid music lovers or the lovers of poetry-recitation gatherings. ''Ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s'' are a common genre performed at ''mehfil''s. Ghazal recitation gatherings are called 'Mehfil-e-Mushaira' in the Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu"
''
Pahenji Mehfil
*
Mehfil Official Web
author: Deepika Singh, Published 8 May 2000, Retrieved 10 Jan 2017 Indian classical music Classical music in Pakistan Hindustani music Islam in India Islam in Pakistan Pakistani culture Hindustani music terminology Desi culture {{Pakistan-music-stub
''
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word ''mehfil'' ( ar, محفل), which means a (festive) "gathering to entertain (or praise someone)."
'' Mehfil-e-Naat'' is an Islamic ''mehfil'' (forum) in which people sit and recite poetry in the praise of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
.
'' Mehfil-e-Sama'' is a gathering held for Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
devotional music
A devotional song is a hymn that accompanies religious observances and rituals. Traditionally devotional music has been a part of Hindu music, Jewish music, Buddhist music, Islamic music and Christian music.
Each major religion has its own tra ...
such as Qawwali
Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
or prayer and chanting, Hadhra, part of Dhikr
''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to reme ...
(remembrance of God).
Popular culture
Several ''mehfil'' performances may be seen in theSatyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...
film ''Jalsaghar
''Jalsaghar'' ( bn, জলসাঘর ''Jalsāghar'', "The Music Room") is a 1958 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on a popular short story by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, and starring Chhabi Bis ...
'' (1958). In recent times, live onstage concert performances are also called 'Mehfil'. "The word 'Mehfil' generally means a place where a music or dance-performance is in progress."https://books.google.com/books?id=cFwbGi3oBHgC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=mehfil+music&source=bl&ots=_hjmo7d9m1&sig=AgwzTR3axOHorn-MI9Eka8dfUFk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKh7yX5LjRAhUJs1QKHR7EB5U4ChDoAQgZMAA#v=onepage&q=mehfil%20music&f=false, Meaning of 'Mehfil' on GoogleBooks, Retrieved 10 Jan 2017
See also
*Islamic poetry
Islamic poetry is a form of spoken word written & recited by Muslims. Islamic poetry, and notably Sufi poetry, has been written in many languages including Urdu and Turkish.
Genres of Islamic poetry include Ginans, devotional hymns recited by I ...
*Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry ( ur, ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the cultures of South Asia. According to Naseer Turabi there are five major poets of Urdu which are Mir Taqi Mir (d.1810), Mirza Ghalib ...
*Mawsim
''Mawsim'' or ''moussem'' ( ar, موسم), ''waada'', or ''raqb'', is the term used in the Maghreb to designate an annual regional festival in which worshippers usually combine the religious celebration of local Marabouts or Sufi Tariqas, with ...
*Tweeza
Tweeza ( ar, تويزة), also Touiza or Tiwizi, is the term used in north Africa to designate the cooperation in a Sufi and cultural heritage in which a group from the tariqa or zawiya in a community or village gathers and cooperates in order to ...
References
External links
Pahenji Mehfil
*
Mehfil Official Web
author: Deepika Singh, Published 8 May 2000, Retrieved 10 Jan 2017 Indian classical music Classical music in Pakistan Hindustani music Islam in India Islam in Pakistan Pakistani culture Hindustani music terminology Desi culture {{Pakistan-music-stub