The Aga Khan Music Awards (AKMA) often honors living musical traditions with deep historical roots. The 2025 Patron’s Award, announced by The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), specifically celebrated a profound cultural and spiritual heritage linking Pakistan and India, rooted in the genius of Amir Khusro (1253-1325).
The Patron’s Award was presented jointly to two extraordinary families, recognized as the “foremost exponents and guardians” of this 700-year-old musical legacy: The Pakistani Recipient being Ustad Naseeruddin Saami &The Saami Brothers, and the Indian Recipient being Naseer & Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi (The Warsi Brothers).
The Legacy of Amir Khusro
The core of this honor is the Sufi poet, musician, and visionary Amir Khusro. He is considered a seminal figure in the cultural history of South Asia, credited with:
Founding Qawwali: The devotional Sufi music that seeks spiritual ecstasy.
Shaping Khayal: The major, complex form of Hindustani classical vocal music.
Creating the Qawwal Bachche: A group of elite disciples trained by Khusro or his main pupil, Miyan Samat Bin Ibrahim, whose musical descendants form the foundation of several major classical traditions.
The award celebrates both families for tracing their artistic heritage back to this great polymath.
Ustad Naseeruddin Saami
Source: AKDN
The Pakistani Lineage: Ustad Naseeruddin Saami
Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, a master of Khayal and one of Pakistan’s preeminent classical vocalists, represents the continuation of this legacy through the Delhi Gharana (school/lineage).
His main art form is Khayal, the art of melodic improvisation within the framework of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm).
His family traces its ancestry back to Miyan Samti, a principal disciple of Amir Khusro, and is a torchbearer of the Delhi gharana of Hindustani music.
Ustad Saami is revered for being the only living practitioner of the complex 49-note microtonal Surti scale, which he diligently passes down to his sons (The Saami Brothers).
Warsi Brothers
Source: AKDN
The Indian Lineage: The Warsi Brothers
The Warsi Brothers, renowned Qawwals from Hyderabad, India, represent the parallel continuation of the devotional aspect of Khusro’s work.
They are direct heirs to the original Qawwal Bachche, the musicians trained by Amir Khusrau himself.
Their work is intrinsically linked to shrine singing, preserving and performing Khusro’s repertoire of Sufi poetry.
The dual Patron’s Award acknowledges the unified yet diversified musical heritage that was preserved and sustained across the subcontinent.
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