Over 150,000 Attendees Gather for 18th International Sufi Rang Festival at Ajmer Sharif

AJMER, RAJASTHAN: The 18th International Sufi Rang Festival concluded at the historic Mehfil Khana of Dargah Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty (R.A.), drawing over 150,000 pilgrims, art enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers over three days. The event featured live calligraphy, devotional music, and sacred art exhibitions within the iconic courtyards of Ajmer Sharif.

The valedictory session was hosted by Chishty Foundation Chairman Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Festival Director Dr. Azeem S. Memon, and Festival Coordinator Haji Mehmood Ahmad Shaikh. The proceedings opened with a recitation of the Holy Quran (Qirat) by Syed Fuzail Chishty, followed by a Mehfil-e-Sama (Sufi devotional music session) performed by Qawwal Aftab Qadri Indori.

Delivering the vote of thanks, Haji Syed Salman Chishty expressed gratitude to visitors and participating artists from across the country.

“You have kept the sacred art of calligraphy alive in your regions and brought it to the threshold of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz,” Chishty said. “When young people watch a pen move across paper in remembrance, something awakens within them. That is the true harvest of this festival—a new generation drawn toward creative and spiritual immersion.”

Distinguished guests felicitated during the closing ceremony included Hollywood producer Arno Kremmer; former Ajmer Bar Association President Advocate Tandon; Janab Syed Kaleemuddin Chishty, Secretary of Anjuman Syedzadgan Khuddam-e-Khwaja; senior Anjuman member Syed Munawaar Chishty; Janab Prakash Jain, President of Sarv Dharam Maitry Sansthan; Janab Mohammed Qasim of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL); and senior consultant Satish Shivnani.

Youth representatives from the Anjuman and Chishty Foundation—including Janab Syed Maqsood Chishty Khushali, Syeda Samar Chishty, Syed Serhan Ali Chishty, and Syed Ali Zaid Chishty—were also recognized.

Nearly 40 calligraphers and visual artists were honored with traditional shawls and mementoes for their contributions. Among the felicitated artists were Aftab Qadri, Anil Kumar Chowhan, Irshad Ali Banarasi, Jamal Ahmed, Khursheed Alam, KB Art’s (Abdul Qadir and Yaseen Bapu), Ziauddin Chishty, and Vikram Rao.

The festival concluded with a collective Dua (prayer) for global peace, communal harmony, and universal well-being, led jointly by Zahoor Baba and Janab Munnawar Chishty, echoing the core Sufi ethos: “Love Towards All, Malice Towards None.”