Mahindra Kabira Festival: Celebrating diversity by the banks of the Ganga

The sixth edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival underlined the relevance of Kabir in modern times

Soothing notes of the morning raag Bairagi serenaded the misty dawn. The rays of the Sun shimmered on the languidly flowing Ganga. As virtuoso Kamala Shankar played a dhun on the Shankar guitar (classical slide guitar), boats glided past the picturesque Guleria Ghat, clouds of seagulls rose into the air while hundreds of pilgrims performed morning oblations on the river banks. Music merged with the light, the breeze and the river to celebrate the life and teachings of Kabir, the 15th century mystic poet-saint.

At the sixth edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival, music, literature, philosophy, art, theatre and story-telling segued into a seamless homage to Kabir, who lived in Varanasi. ‘Kabir in every sense’, the tagline of the festival, united aesthetics of different art forms, which has become the identity of the festival.

Hindustani and Carnatic musicians such as Aruna Sairam and Vikash Maharaj, new-age musicians Raghu Dixit and Jasleen Aulak, philosophers and academics explored Kabir, sans barriers of age and region.

“The Mahindra Kabira Festival is a great platform to celebrate our diversity, and how Kabir’s teachings ring true for all of us through different musical forms. To create and perform music that has an universal appeal, to share and spread the words of wisdom written and spoken by great poets and philosophers, is every artiste’s dream,” says Aruna.

Dwelling on the overwhelming response to the Festival, academic Umesh Kabir, who is part of the Kabir math, asserts that Kabir’s teachings are relevant for all times. “What is not to love when he talks about removing filters to keep the mind free of prejudice and religious bigotry, to celebrate oneness, to introspect instead of criticising others? How can he not be relevant when he talks about religious bigotry? Kabir was a staunch opponent of superstition and dogmatic orthodoxy. His self-deprecating humour highlighted social evils. An iconoclast, he was not afraid to question anything,” says Umesh.

It is the syncretic philosophy of Kabir, couched in lyrical verse, which continues to resonate in people from all walks of life even today. For Bengaluru-based musician Sandeep Pillai, the lead singer of Soule Band, it was Kabir’s love for mankind and his thoughts on inclusivity and looking within oneself for peace that attracted him. “It was in tune with what I was searching for. When renowned puppeteer Dadi D Padumjee, founder of Ishara Puppet Theatre, wanted me to compose and perform live for the show with my band, I felt it was serendipity,” he says.

Dadi, who presented a puppet show ‘Dohe Jo Mohe’, echoes Sandeep’s sentiments. Kabir’s famous ‘Chadariya jheeni re jhini’, played by Soule to accompany Ishara’s moving performance had the audience on their feet.