Kabir Festival Mumbai 2015

The Kabir Festival Mumbai, now in its fifth edition is back with four days of Kabir and other Sufi and Bhakti saints of India with 32 Artists, 19 Events, 3 Films, 2 Workshops and 16 Venues spanning from Fort to Borivli and Powai to Mulund. From 8th to 11th January 2015, all of the events are free and open to the public.

The fifth edition of the Festival will bring some new events and artists. The Festival brings an exploration of the Sagun and Nirgun Bhakti traditions to show how both echo each other. This presentation comes from collaboration between the contemporary classical singers, Bindhu Malini from Bangalore, Vedanth Bharadwaj from Chennai and Shruthi Vishwanath from Mumbai.

A glimpse into the poetry of great Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai is brought through the films “So Heddan So Hoddan” by Anjali Monteiro and K.P.Jayshankar and the presentation of Music, Poetry and Stories by famous Mooralala Marwada, from Kutch and Vipul Rikhi, a poet and singer from Bangalore.

Also new this year is Radhika Sood Nayak, a Mumbai based singer, who will present the poetry of Bulleh Shah, the renowned Sufi saint from Punjab. The crowd pleasers, Mooralalaji and his troupe will not only perform on their own but will also be jamming with Nirali Karthik and the Maati Baani Band.

The Festival cannot be complete without Padmashri Prahlad Singh Tipaniya, who will be back with Malwi folk and Parvathy Baul and Lakshman Das Baul with Baul Gaan.  Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café, a Contemporary Folk Fusion Band, a favourite amongst youngsters, will also be back. The young Dastango from New Delhi, Ankit Chadha will be presenting “Dastan Dhai Akhar Ki” a Dastangoi on Kabir.  The dancer, Sanjukta Wagh, will explore the poetry of Kabir through Kathak in her piece “Bheetar Bahar”.

During the Festival, there will also be screenings the films “Lalon” by Tanvir Mokammel, a Bangladeshi feature film on the life of Lalon Fakir and “Sama – Muslim Mystic Music of India” a documentary film by Shazia Khan, Muslim Mystic Music of India.

Organised by the ever growing Kabir Community in Mumbai, under the ausipices of theSahej Foundation, a Public Charitable Trust, the Kabir Festival seeks to celebrate the timeless words of Kabir and other Bhakti and Sufi poets. The festival, named after the iconoclast weaver-poet, who spoke out against divisions of religion and caste and who rebelled against the hegemony of organized religion and hypocritical mindsets, the Festival is organized with the objective of spreading the message of love, harmony, equality and universal brotherhood through their poetry. The festival presents an opportunity for reflection, immersion, provocation, and, of course, enjoyment.