By Reena Amos Dyes, *A divine evening of Sufism* - Emirates Business 24/7 - Abu Dhabi, UAEThursday, June 24, 2010
Indian choir Malhaar will perform a musical combining Sufi music, theatre and art this weekend.
Residents of Dubai with an ear for the unusual are in for a treat this Dubai Summer Surprises with Rooh-e-Ishq, a musical that combines Sufi music, theatre and art being held this weekend.
It is being performed by Malhaar, an Indian music choir in the UAE in association with Theatrewallas, a local theatre group, and Indian celebrity musicians - Gulam Ali and Shailesh Bhagawat also taking to the stage.
Rooh-e-Ishq, which roughly translates as "in love with the soul", will follow the birth of Sufism and its journey across the world through the ages.
For the uninitiated, Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. They generally do this by shunning all worldly pleasures and devoting themselves to God. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi. The Sufi movement has spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium and sufis composed songs in devotion to God in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and a dozen other languages.
Rooh-e-Ishq brings together the region's dancing dervishes and the qawwals (group singers) of Punjab. It features the life and works of four master Sufis of all time, Jalaluddin Rumi, Amir Khusro, Bulleh Shah and Kabir.
Jogiraj Sikidar, founder director of Malhaar, told Emirates Business: "I was exposed to Sufi music right from my childhood when I was living in Silchar, in Assam, as on many mornings I would be woken up by the sounds of a wandering minstrel singing Sufi songs.
"Then when I went to Delhi to do my graduation my interest in Sufi music deepened further as there I was exposed to Sufi music at the tomb of Amir Khusro.
"That's the time when I realised the depth of Sufi music and how it is still relevant. I decided that I would one day do a show that would present Sufi music in a contemporary form so that today's generation can connect with it. So when I set up Malhaar I decided that this was the time to do it and this show is the result of months of research and hard work."
The musical will unravel the mystical world of Sufism through three powerful media – music, theatre and poetry – and is divided into five segments.
The first four segments are a theatrical life sketch followed by a musical performance based on the four master Sufis. In the final segment, Malhaar will perform contemporary Sufi music from Indian film and pop albums. Each segment will be introduced by an anchor, who will also recite popular Sufi couplets.
Talking about the paintings that will be prominently displayed in the theatre during the show, Sikidar said: "We asked artists from the UAE and India to make paintings based on their understanding and representation of the Sufi masters and their music."
He said the paintings would be displayed in the theatre and form part of the backdrop on the stage.
"Later, in true Sufi tradition of charity, two of the paintings that have been made by Shrabani Brahmachary, a well-known artist from Delhi, will be auctioned and the proceeds from it will go to Manzil, the school for children with special needs."
The show will be held at 6.30pm tomorrow [today, Friday, June 25] at the Centrepoint Auditorium, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates. Tickets are priced at Dh50 and are available at the box-office and Gazebo and Kamat restaurants. For more, e-mail malhaar.choir@gmail.com.
Residents of Dubai with an ear for the unusual are in for a treat this Dubai Summer Surprises with Rooh-e-Ishq, a musical that combines Sufi music, theatre and art being held this weekend.
It is being performed by Malhaar, an Indian music choir in the UAE in association with Theatrewallas, a local theatre group, and Indian celebrity musicians - Gulam Ali and Shailesh Bhagawat also taking to the stage.
Rooh-e-Ishq, which roughly translates as "in love with the soul", will follow the birth of Sufism and its journey across the world through the ages.
For the uninitiated, Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. They generally do this by shunning all worldly pleasures and devoting themselves to God. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi. The Sufi movement has spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium and sufis composed songs in devotion to God in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and a dozen other languages.
Rooh-e-Ishq brings together the region's dancing dervishes and the qawwals (group singers) of Punjab. It features the life and works of four master Sufis of all time, Jalaluddin Rumi, Amir Khusro, Bulleh Shah and Kabir.
Jogiraj Sikidar, founder director of Malhaar, told Emirates Business: "I was exposed to Sufi music right from my childhood when I was living in Silchar, in Assam, as on many mornings I would be woken up by the sounds of a wandering minstrel singing Sufi songs.
"Then when I went to Delhi to do my graduation my interest in Sufi music deepened further as there I was exposed to Sufi music at the tomb of Amir Khusro.
"That's the time when I realised the depth of Sufi music and how it is still relevant. I decided that I would one day do a show that would present Sufi music in a contemporary form so that today's generation can connect with it. So when I set up Malhaar I decided that this was the time to do it and this show is the result of months of research and hard work."
The musical will unravel the mystical world of Sufism through three powerful media – music, theatre and poetry – and is divided into five segments.
The first four segments are a theatrical life sketch followed by a musical performance based on the four master Sufis. In the final segment, Malhaar will perform contemporary Sufi music from Indian film and pop albums. Each segment will be introduced by an anchor, who will also recite popular Sufi couplets.
Talking about the paintings that will be prominently displayed in the theatre during the show, Sikidar said: "We asked artists from the UAE and India to make paintings based on their understanding and representation of the Sufi masters and their music."
He said the paintings would be displayed in the theatre and form part of the backdrop on the stage.
"Later, in true Sufi tradition of charity, two of the paintings that have been made by Shrabani Brahmachary, a well-known artist from Delhi, will be auctioned and the proceeds from it will go to Manzil, the school for children with special needs."
The show will be held at 6.30pm tomorrow [today, Friday, June 25] at the Centrepoint Auditorium, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates. Tickets are priced at Dh50 and are available at the box-office and Gazebo and Kamat restaurants. For more, e-mail malhaar.choir@gmail.com.
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