Spiritual connection

From devotional traditions of South India to Meera bhajans and ‘Nirgun’ bhakti songs, the second day of the Bhakti Sangeet festival captivated the audience with its diversity of spiritual and devotional renditions.

As the evening opened, Meeta Pandit introduced the Delhi audience to the beautiful devotional traditions of South India; while Iqbal Ahmad Khan’s Meera bhajans reminded the audience of saint Meera’s selfless love and devotion to Lord Krishna. 

Popular singer Shubha Mudgal of Abke Saawan fame ended the mesmerizing evening with chantings of devotion to the ‘Nirgun’ or formless Creator.

Delhi’s much-loved annual Bhakti Sangeet festival is presented by Sahitya Kala Parishad and Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Govt of Delhi. This year it has nine individual and group performances of Bhakti and Sufiana renditions over three days at Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri. No matter what language we speak or which culture we adhere to, there are certain elements of human consciousness that transcend all tangible differences. Devotion to the Ultimate Being is one of those universal sentiments that find expressions in multiple forms. Be it in the form of bhajans or qawwalis or Gospel music, devotional music is one form of expression that does not fail to strike the chords of believers.

“Every individual soul finds its own way to connect with the eternal reality. Some perceive the Creator as a formless transcendent reality; others conceptualize Him in a human form. In different cultures and languages, people develop and nurture their own devotional traditions. Each region borrows from the saints that roamed in their lands. Music is a form that resonates with people across the world by aligning the mystic frequencies of a mind to verbal expression of love,” said Shubha Mudgal. 

The annual Bhakti Sangeet Festival serves the purpose of unifying and bringing together the multiple traditions of Indian devotional music at one stage. From Kabir bhajans, to the distinct bhakti music from South India, to Sufiana kalams from Punjab! The stupendous diversity and variety of multiple traditions of devotional music of India is on full display at the Bhakti Sangeet Festival.

Anup Jalota, who performed on the first day of the festival said, “We are a country known globally for its spirituality and we have multifarious ways of professing our love to God. The Bhakti Sangeet festival is a unique platform that brings together people from different genres of music and unites them by their love for the devotional music.” 

The last day of the festival will see four performances including one by Kabir Café, a band dedicated to Kabir bhajans. Others who will perform on the last day include Arshad Ali Khan (Krishna bhakti); Sumitra Guha (Ram Bhakti) and Master Saleem (Punjabi Sufiana Kalaam).

Sahitya Kala Parishad, the cultural wing of the Government of NCT of Delhi was setup in 1968 for the promotion and propagation of Art and Culture in Delhi. As one of the most interactive department of the Delhi Government, Sahitya Kala Parishad for the past three decades and more has been carrying out its mandate with full vigor and dedication. 

Its projects and programmes concentrate more on youth, women and weaker sections of  society.