Sufi whirling which spread to the Middle-East in the 13th century finds many takers in India today. Zia Nath, the inventor of sufi splendour (a sacred and spectacular presentation of dance forms) and teacher of whirling for 18 years in Mumbai, tells SHAlINI SAKSENA that while there are many misconceptions regarding this unique dance form, it is a sacred mystical ritual at its best
What is whirling sufismIJ
It’s called sufi whirling. Whirling simply means turning — a continuous turning that develops its own flow and momentum — to a point when the dancer does not need to ‘do it’ anymore. The force of the turning flow creates a certain momentum in the body and the body starts whirling effortlessly. Children do it naturally. In the centre of this whirling is a still point which becomes the axis of the turns.
Tell us about the history.
In ancient Egypt, whirling was a sacred mystical ritual. There was the experience of profound spirituality — a dimension with no beginning, no end. And yet, the source of this circle or turn is in the centre. This is the point of origin from where life emerges. This is also the sacredness of whirling in meditation. These rituals spread to the Middle-East and in the early 13th century, a Persian sufi mystic Jalal-ud-Din Rumi became a master of the whirling movement. He taught this work to his disciples and formed the sufi order called The Mevlevi Sufi Order. One of the most well known works of this group is the sufi whirling dervishes.
What are dervishesIJ
It is a sufi term given to someone who has embraced the life devoted to the experience of God.
Is sufi whirling different from normal sufism and howIJ
Sufi comes from the word safa which means pure. It also means friend or beloved of God. Sufis originated from different parts of the Middle-East, Egypt and Central and Eastern Europe. Their work spread to the sub-continent. That’s why we have sufis in Rajasthan, UP and Kashmir and the Bauls in East India. Sufis are not clerics, they are mystics. They follow the path of love. Sufisim also has different orders and groups and have different rituals and prayer practices for “right remembrance”. Whirling is one of the ways that some sufi orders adopt to experience of the divine.
You trained in odissi, jazz and ballet. How did you get interested in sufi whirlingIJ
I chanced upon a beautiful performance of sufi Gurdjeiff dances and sufi whirling at the Osho Commune International, Pune in 1994. It was a profound experience. It moved me deeply and brought me to a magical experience of stillness in which a meditative silence surrounded me for a long time. I decided to pursue this study of dance.
Has it changed your lifeIJ
It changed me as a person when I first watched it and then changed my entire life when I embraced the study of this over several years. It taught me to access the quality of meditation in all that I do. It deepened my experience of meditation. It brought a sense of oneness in my body mind and emotions.
Tell us about the workshop you are going to hold at ZambhalaIJ
I will be conducting a sufi whirling workshop for beginners. This will involve the practice of centering movements and exercises from the Gurdjieff tradition. These exercises are a preparation for whirling.
How has the response to sufi whirling been so farIJ
I have been teaching this for 15 years and people always loved it and taken to it like fish does to water. They recognise that it’s a natural force in the body and learning to surrender to this force is a blissful experience.
Has it been difficult to amalgamate the three dance forms into oneIJ
It came naturally to me. One fine day, I woke up with a vision to put it together and it all happened smoothly. I found a common thread in all the three forms. There was this sense of deep gratitude for the sacredness I felt and this made me bring the three dance forms — Sufi Whirling, Gurdjieff Dances and Odissi dances — together.
