Kabir,Hear and Now

Kabir,the mystic saint poet of 16th century,had a great impact on the Bhakti Movement in India. His works include dohas,sakhis,shlokas,bijak,and his poetic outputs are called banis. Kabir composed his poetry in an earthy style,replete with surprises and an inventive imagery. No wonder then that thousands of people have based their research on his works,and singers and composers have earned their living by rendering his banis. Now,the varied facets of Kabir and his poetry will come under the spotlight as part of the sixth annual Kabir Festival by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi. The first day of Suno Bhai Sadho will feature performances by Mahesha Ram from Rajasthan and Padmashri Madhup Mudgal. Mahesha Ram belongs to the Meghval community of Rajasthan and represents a hypnotic folk style typical to his community,believed to be the carriers of Kabir’s poetry through the oral traditions of jagrans and satsangs. Mudhal is known for his khayal and bhajan renditions. The second day of the festival will see performances by Jagir Singh,who will recite Kabir bani from Guru Granth Sahib,and Ustad Sawan Khan,who will perform Kabir bani and other Sufi compositions. Khan,the nationally recognised folk singer from Rajasthan,belongs to the family of musicians of the Manganiyar tradition. Known for singing the poetry of Kabir,Baba Farid,Bulle Shah and Shah Hussain,Khan is gifted with a powerful and melodious voice and translates Sufi philosophy through his musical compositions and recitations.

Suno Bhai Sadho is will be held on March 25 and 26 at Tagore Theatre. Invitation cards can be collected from the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s office in

Sector 34. The performances will start at 6:30 pm.