Qawwali Finals: Mumbai University Youth Festival 2025-26

The circular for the MU Youth Festival 2025-26 was circulated in the students’ groups on 18th July 2025. It was ensured that the new batch of F.Y.B.Com. had come in, allowing for participation from all three classes F.Y.B.Com., S.Y.B.Com., and T.Y.B.Com. The students of our college were glad to participate in the Zonal Round for Zone II of the 58th Inter-Collegiate / Institute / Department Youth Festival Academic Year-2025-26. A separate MU Youth Festival WhatsApp group was created for communication with participants and for online registration to the festival portal.

8 Students of F.Y.B.Com, S.Y.B.Com and T.Y.B.Com. participated in the Qawwali (Group Singing) Final Event of the Mumbai University Youth Festival 2025-26. They entered the final round for the Qawwali group singing competition. The Qawwali team, led by Asgar Ansari of T.Y.B.Com., was composed of students from F.Y.B.Com., S.Y.B.Com, and T.Y.B.Com. Since most of the team members were working during the day, they scheduled their rehearsals from 9.00 pm to 10.00 pm after college lectures. They stayed back every day and rehearsed for the event. The Qawwali group song had to have a patriotic song added to their qawwali. They performed the Sufi Song Chhaap Tilak and neatly merged it with a patriotic song. Chhaap Tilak is a Sufi devotional song written by Amir Khusrau, expressing the joy of spiritual union with the divine.

The Qawwali Group Song students worked very hard. It was for the first time that the students were participating in a Qawwali performance. The experience was both exciting and challenging. They had to study the new format and work at the synchronization of the participants of the Qawwali group song. They were accompanied by the professional tabla player Pranav Prabhu. They set the tanpura on scale and tuned themselves for rehearsals every day. They gathered on holidays, too, to ensure that their performance improves, and they are able to give off their best! The Qawwali team hired costumes, a beautiful maroon kurta-payjama, topi, rumaal (handkerchief) to sparkle in the final event.

Principal Dr. Eknath Zhrekar encouraged the participants and supported and guided them for all their needs to successfully take part in Qawwali Finals of the MU Youth Festival 2025-26.

On the day of the finals, the TEAM Chaap Tilak Qawwali MNDC, gave a tough competition to participants of different reputed day colleges. The finalists came from all the 12 Mumbai University Zones set in Mumbai, Navi-Mumbai, Raigad, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagir, Sindhudurg and beyond. The Grand Finale was organized in the prestigious, heritage building Sir Cowasjee Jehanghier Convocation Hall, University of Mumbai, Fort, Mumbai on 22nd September 2025. The students reported at 8.00 am. The slot assigned to them was slot no. 15. They got an opportunity to see all the performances that were slotted before theirs and appreciated the quality and level of competition. Photography was strictly prohibited while the performances were taking place. The efforts of the Chhaap Tilak Qawwali MNDC team were acknowledged by the organizers. The team received commendations for their efforts!

It was the second time our college participated in the Mumbai University Youth Festival. Students had a good experience and learned to compete fiercely and sportingly in the most prestigious and popular Mumbai University Youth Festival.

The students will remember the event fondly and cherish the learnings from it.