For songs of Kabir come to Bengaluru today

BENGALURU: Bhoomija Trust is organising an evening of Kabir music, titled ' Shabad Dhun Laagi - Struck by the Word' in Bengaluru, on Saturday. It will feature folk singers Mooralala Marwada of Gujarat and Mahesha Ram of Rajasthan. The evening will also see translations of these songs by film-maker Shabnam Virmani and writer-translator Vipul Rikhi of The Kabir Project.

"Both Mahesha Ram and Morralala Marwada belong to centuries-old traditions of folk music from the western deserts of India," said Rikhi. "Over the years, we have collaborated with several folk and urban musicians, primarily from Malwa, Kutch, Rajasthan and Pakistan, who sing Kabir and other Bhakti and Sufi poets. We are drawn to the beauty of this music, and the wonder of the poetry that it has carried for several centuries."


Image: BCCL

The evening will present the meditative and mesmeric work of the 15th century Bhakti poet, while exploring the intersection of the mystic poetry and folk music. Rikhi, who is working with Virmani to build an online repository of folk songs called ' Ajab Shahar', will share share poems of Kabir and couple from Meera and Shah Latif, among others. Iconic songs like Kabir's 'Bahaar Kyon Bhatke' and 'Ber Chalya' and 'Sajni Pyaari Re' will be narrated.


Image: BCCL

Shabad Dhun Laagi will be held at MLR Convention Centre at 7 pm on Saturday.