On Road for Music
Some journeys start and end exactly as chalked out in one’s itinerary. But sometimes, the learning and experience is more than expected.
This is what happened to Sarah Ewald, Max Kramer and Eliane Ettmueller, three students from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, who have just completed shooting an hour-long documentary on Sufism in India.
The interaction with a group of Egyptian musicians performing in India forms the basis of the film titled Discourses on Sufism.
The Egyptians were in Ajmer to perform at an international Sufi festival held in October, this year.
“We spent time with the group. We also travelled to Delhi, Srinagar, and Mahim Durgah and Haji Ali in Mumbai,” says Kramer, 28, who has done his MA in Modern Indian Languages and Social Anthropology from University of Heidelberg.
At the university, Kramer met Ettmueller, who has completed her PhD in Islamic studies. They were joined by Ewald, who has done her MA in Social Anthropology.
“There is a very simplistic image of Islam in the minds of people. In Germany, it is portrayed as a religion with strict rules. This film is an attempt to change this image,” says Kramer.
Ettmueller adds that the political references in the film are subtle.
“Performing Sufi music is not allowed in dargahs in Kashmir. It was allowed in the past. The film talks about such changes,” says Ettmueller.
[Visit the University of Heidelberg.]
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