Kabir’s music enthrals people at ITFoK 

Kabir’s music enthrals people at ITFoK 

Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein, an electrifying rock opera performance by the band Dastaan Live, gave a musical fervour to the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) on Friday night.

Written by Bisham Sahni, Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein is a fictional account of the life of Kabir Das, a famous poet from the 14th century. It portrays the spiritual wisdom and social commentary filled in his poems and reflects on love and affection. The idea behind this music, designed by M.K. Raina, is to unite everyone and make poetry revolutionary.

The music puts forward Kabir’s idea that all religious beliefs must have a place in the hearts of people and not in public. Musicians from various parts of the world came together on stage through Daastan Live, bringing forth unity. The relevance of the amalgamation spoken about by Kabir Das in the 14th century is still being discussed globally, and this shows the significance of Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein.

A panel discussion session at ITFoK on Saturday handled the Changing Paradigms in Text and Performance of Malayalam Theatre.

“Structure of the theatre gains more importance than the theme now,” observed theatre person E. Rajarajeswari. Anti-democratic and anti-gender expressions are also creeping into the theatre, she said.

Sreeja Arangottukara, theatre person, said that contemporary theatre is adapting to the changing times in theme and structure. People are not actively participating in the discussions on Malayalam theatres, Rafeeq Mangalassery, another theatre person observed.

A theatre workshop organised for the Kudumbashree mission members began at Kerala Institute of Local Administration on Saturday. The workshop with the theme Women and Theatre is meant to provide opportunity for women in theatre.