By Manoj Nair - Economic Times - India
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Don’t worry about saving these songs!
And if one of our instruments breaks,
it doesn’t matter.
We have fallen into the place
where everything is music
— 13th century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi
Many of us who have, unwittingly or not, let ourselves be caught in the quagmire of material fulfillment would wonder: have we? But, often we do come across several such selfless saints who know no other faith than the sounds emanating from their instruments of choice.
Be it our Baul singers changing trains or Sufi mystics lying unfetterd by the wayside or by their chosen shrines. Every Thursday the dargah of Delhi’s Nizamuddin Aulia stands witness for this soulful search for beauty.
Sufi communities or orders are found throughout the Islamic world, from South and Central Asia through Turkey, Iran, the Levant and northern, eastern and western Africa. With that wide a geographical and cultural spread for Sufism itself, Sufi musical practice is itself equally diverse. Most recently we could find that scent of Sufi in the pop songs of Rabbi and Kailash Kher.
The music of the Bauls is a celebration of celestial love in very earthy terms. Both strive to lose oneself in remembering God and in drawing closer to the divine. The annual Sufi and Mystic Music Festival conducted by Banyan Tree is the coming together of this ethereal universality.
Ruhaniyat, as it is known, is the common stage of the Sufi and mystic musicians from all over the world. It also means the opportunity to drown in the richness of Sufi and mystic music from across the country. Says Mahesh Babu, director, Banyan Tree Events Pvt Ltd, “Over the years it has evolved into one of the most prestigious and a much-awaited festival for the connoisseurs of Mumbai.”
But the festival’s geographical reach, like its music, is spreading beyond a single spot. Last year the festival moved to three new cities and this year it is travelling to two more. Which means in this world of technological phoenixes and neuromancers, messages of mystics and misunderstood mendicants seem to be the need of the hour.
Between November 2006 to February 2007 Mumbai (Nov 25 & 26 2006), Delhi (Dec 2006), Bangalore (Dec 2006), Hyderabad (Jan 2007), Chennai (Feb 2007) and Pune (Feb 2007) will witness the works of the Sufis and mystics come alive with fakirs, monks, Sufi qawwals, mystic healers, folk musicians, Bauls, Shabad singers, Kabir panthis and the likes from across India and other countries such as Iran, Pakistan and Switzerland.
Monday, December 18, 2006
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Monday, December 18, 2006
Get drawn to rhythm divine
By Manoj Nair - Economic Times - India
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Don’t worry about saving these songs!
And if one of our instruments breaks,
it doesn’t matter.
We have fallen into the place
where everything is music
— 13th century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi
Many of us who have, unwittingly or not, let ourselves be caught in the quagmire of material fulfillment would wonder: have we? But, often we do come across several such selfless saints who know no other faith than the sounds emanating from their instruments of choice.
Be it our Baul singers changing trains or Sufi mystics lying unfetterd by the wayside or by their chosen shrines. Every Thursday the dargah of Delhi’s Nizamuddin Aulia stands witness for this soulful search for beauty.
Sufi communities or orders are found throughout the Islamic world, from South and Central Asia through Turkey, Iran, the Levant and northern, eastern and western Africa. With that wide a geographical and cultural spread for Sufism itself, Sufi musical practice is itself equally diverse. Most recently we could find that scent of Sufi in the pop songs of Rabbi and Kailash Kher.
The music of the Bauls is a celebration of celestial love in very earthy terms. Both strive to lose oneself in remembering God and in drawing closer to the divine. The annual Sufi and Mystic Music Festival conducted by Banyan Tree is the coming together of this ethereal universality.
Ruhaniyat, as it is known, is the common stage of the Sufi and mystic musicians from all over the world. It also means the opportunity to drown in the richness of Sufi and mystic music from across the country. Says Mahesh Babu, director, Banyan Tree Events Pvt Ltd, “Over the years it has evolved into one of the most prestigious and a much-awaited festival for the connoisseurs of Mumbai.”
But the festival’s geographical reach, like its music, is spreading beyond a single spot. Last year the festival moved to three new cities and this year it is travelling to two more. Which means in this world of technological phoenixes and neuromancers, messages of mystics and misunderstood mendicants seem to be the need of the hour.
Between November 2006 to February 2007 Mumbai (Nov 25 & 26 2006), Delhi (Dec 2006), Bangalore (Dec 2006), Hyderabad (Jan 2007), Chennai (Feb 2007) and Pune (Feb 2007) will witness the works of the Sufis and mystics come alive with fakirs, monks, Sufi qawwals, mystic healers, folk musicians, Bauls, Shabad singers, Kabir panthis and the likes from across India and other countries such as Iran, Pakistan and Switzerland.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Don’t worry about saving these songs!
And if one of our instruments breaks,
it doesn’t matter.
We have fallen into the place
where everything is music
— 13th century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi
Many of us who have, unwittingly or not, let ourselves be caught in the quagmire of material fulfillment would wonder: have we? But, often we do come across several such selfless saints who know no other faith than the sounds emanating from their instruments of choice.
Be it our Baul singers changing trains or Sufi mystics lying unfetterd by the wayside or by their chosen shrines. Every Thursday the dargah of Delhi’s Nizamuddin Aulia stands witness for this soulful search for beauty.
Sufi communities or orders are found throughout the Islamic world, from South and Central Asia through Turkey, Iran, the Levant and northern, eastern and western Africa. With that wide a geographical and cultural spread for Sufism itself, Sufi musical practice is itself equally diverse. Most recently we could find that scent of Sufi in the pop songs of Rabbi and Kailash Kher.
The music of the Bauls is a celebration of celestial love in very earthy terms. Both strive to lose oneself in remembering God and in drawing closer to the divine. The annual Sufi and Mystic Music Festival conducted by Banyan Tree is the coming together of this ethereal universality.
Ruhaniyat, as it is known, is the common stage of the Sufi and mystic musicians from all over the world. It also means the opportunity to drown in the richness of Sufi and mystic music from across the country. Says Mahesh Babu, director, Banyan Tree Events Pvt Ltd, “Over the years it has evolved into one of the most prestigious and a much-awaited festival for the connoisseurs of Mumbai.”
But the festival’s geographical reach, like its music, is spreading beyond a single spot. Last year the festival moved to three new cities and this year it is travelling to two more. Which means in this world of technological phoenixes and neuromancers, messages of mystics and misunderstood mendicants seem to be the need of the hour.
Between November 2006 to February 2007 Mumbai (Nov 25 & 26 2006), Delhi (Dec 2006), Bangalore (Dec 2006), Hyderabad (Jan 2007), Chennai (Feb 2007) and Pune (Feb 2007) will witness the works of the Sufis and mystics come alive with fakirs, monks, Sufi qawwals, mystic healers, folk musicians, Bauls, Shabad singers, Kabir panthis and the likes from across India and other countries such as Iran, Pakistan and Switzerland.
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