World Sufi Music Festival, Jahan-e-Khusrau, founded by filmaker and cultural aficionado Muzaffar Ali will return after a two-year hiatus to the Capital.
The festival, scheduled to begin on March 24 is dedicated to the patron saint of Punjab, Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar and Hazarat Nizamuddin Auliya, and will see performances by sufi stalwarts like Daler Mehndi, Satinder Sartaj, Sukhwinder Singh and Sonam Kalra among others.
The three-day event which was initiated by Ali under the aegis of Rumi Foundation seeks to revive the Sufiyana kalams.
"The idea of this festival came into being when I was in Kashmir and I realised how amidst all the tension and animosity, people there were losing touch with this soulful form of music. It was going through the Kashmiri Sufiyana community that I realised the beauty of these kalams," Ali said.
The music festival which will be held in the ruins of Arab Ki Sarai adjacent to the Humayun's Tomb here, will be hosting a battery of Sufi musicians from across the country and the world in a seamless cinematic fashion.
Ali said that sufi music is essential, especially in the current times of turmoil, as it helps in the creation of a world without any boundaries.
"It is a liberating form of music. India has a huge tradition of classical music and it is contained in different Gharanas. The music opens itself up to the people. Jahan-e-Khusrau attempts to offer people an an ecstatic experience through music," he said.
The festival that commemorates the death anniversary of the saint Hazrat Amir Khusrau, will be organised in patronage of D S Puri foundation.
"The spirit behind the festival is to spread the message of oneness. Sufi saints knew the true value of an egalitarian, an inclusive world lead by seamless love for the Lord. It is a message most relevant in today's world of angst and strife," he said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
