They don’t do it for fame or for money, nor do they have glamourous music videos to promote themselves. These are musicians who have probably touched God through their devotion to music.
Ruhaniyat, one of the largest All India Sufi and Mystic Music Festival, for the past 10 years has been giving the country a reason to touch base with its spiritual self. Conceived by Mahesh Babu in 2001 in Mumbai, the festival has travelled to different cities, seven to be exact, with a spectacular line up of rare art forms. The sixth edition of Ruhaniyat in Bangalore, on December 10, will feature Bharud and Abhang of Maharashtra, Sufiana Kalams from Kashmir, Sema from Turkey, Baul Songs from West Bengal to name a few.
Nandini Mahesh, director of Banyan Tree Events, organisers of the festival, says, “More than ever before the messages of Sufi saints and mystics seem to be the need of the hour for they knew the secret of blissful existence amidst all kinds of turmoil. Ruhaniyat is the platform through which their works, abounding in wisdom and unconditional love, are presented in the most dignified manner. Each of these acts is like a soothing balm and a timely reminder of the human capacity to evolve, give love and live in harmony,”
What sets Ruhaniyat apart from any other music festival is that the performers are rarely seen because they are not commercial artists. For them, music is a call to the supreme. “In fact, our endeavour has been to discover and give a platform to rare gems from the remote parts of the country; unheard of talents, masters of exotic instruments and orally transmitted repertoire of greatest of mystics of a by-gone era,” says Nandini, adding, “These are carriers of living traditions who bring alive the messages of the Sufi saints, mystics, healers, fakirs, monks, bauls, peers in the most enchanting manner, thereby fulfilling our purpose of spreading these age-old messages of love, peace and harmony across the country.”
The line up in Bangalore includes Whirling Dervishes from Turkey, Parvathy Baul of Bengal, Mystic Kalam by Indra and Shakur Khan and group from Rajasthan and Sufi qawwali by Shameem Nayeem and group from Jaipur, to name a few.
