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Journalism of Courage
It was in the beginning of 2008 that Lahore-based Sanam Marvi regaled people with her Sufiana qalam on Coke Studio Pakistan. Marvi,whose repertoire comprises poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah,Baba Sheikh Farid and that of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai one of the most popular Sindhi poets,will be part of the three-day Bhakti Utsav that opens today at Nehru Park. This is the ninth edition of the annual event,which is dedicated to classical singer Kumar Gandharva. Bhakti is a way to reach God; it does not take religion into consideration. It is an honour to perform at this festival,which is dedicated to spirituality and celebrates the philosophy of the mystics,says Marvi,who performed in India for the first time in 2010. This is her first performance at the Bhakti Utsav. When I sing Sufi qalam,people from both countries can understand and appreciate it, she adds.
The festival will open with vedic chants by Delhi-based band,Astitva,to be followed by nirgun bhajans by Vidya Shah and Thyagaraja bhajans by Sudha Raghunathan. The day ends with Punjabi and Persian Sufi poetry,to be sung by Hans Raj Hans,who is known for singing Baba Bulleh Shahs and Amir Khusraus qalams. The second day will have a performance by Parvathy Baul,the popular baul singer from Murshidabad in West Bengal. She will play the khomok,a fixture in her performances,and sing some verses created by the wandering ministrels of Bengal. The second day will also have Gukzar Ahmad from Kashmir,who will sing bhajans from the Kashmiri bhakti tradition. The final day,besides Marvis performance as the finale,will also have Kabir bhajans by singer Sitanath Biswas,followed by Buddhist chanting.
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