4th Kabira Festival to explore relevance of Kabir's teachings in contemporary times

The fourth edition of the annual Mahindra Kabira Festival will celebrate the universality of the 15th-century mystic-poet Kabir, and explore the relevance of his simple teachings in the contemporary times. Organised by Mahindra with Teamwork Arts, the festival will be held in the holy city of Varanasi from November 22-24.

The three-day event promises an elaborate programme of music, literature, heritage walks, boat rides on the Ganga, along with an array of local cuisine -- all inspired by Kabir's teachings. "We are delighted once again to celebrate the profound clear-sightedness of Kabir, the eternal mystic, in his birthplace, with a line-up of celebrated musicians and litterateurs.

"Like every year, we look forward to an evocative experience at the festival, which will salute not only Kabir's universality, but also his acute relevance in today's chaotic world, where his words hold up the promise of simplicity and peace," said Sanjoy Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts. Among festival highlights will be a collaborative 'Flute Symphony' by three-time Grammy nominee Pt Ajay Shankar Prasanna, along with eminent artistes experimenting with the sounds of the wind.

The festival will also see performances at the famous Shivala and Guleria Ghats by an eclectic mix of young and old artistes including Neeraj Arya from Kabir Café, sitar player Neeraj Mishra from Kala Prakash, as well as veterans like vani and bhajan singer Om Prakash Nayak, sufi folk singer Mooralala Marwada, "Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein" fame documentary filmmaker Shabnam Virmani and noted sarangi player Ustad Kamal Sabri. Acclaimed author Purushottam Agrawal will shed light on Kabir's work and philosophy and a specially-curated storytelling performance by actor and co-founder of Jashn-E-Qalam, KC Shankar will be part of the literary discourse segment.

Heritage Walks, curated and conducted by Navneet Raman and Ajay Pandey from the Benares Cultural Foundation will also be part of the event. "The Kabir Math will partner with the festival to bring to the forefront more of the mystic poet's teachings. The festival will also collaborate with Unity Earth, an international organisation on a mission to accelerate the realisation of unity and peace on earth," organisers said in a statement.

In its previous editions, the festival has hosted acclaimed and popular artistes like Shubha Mudgal, Malini Awasthi, Pt Ajoy Chakraborty, Vidya Shah, Vidya Rao and Prahlad Tipaniya.

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