‘End of a Journey’, ‘Making a Spider web of kabir enthusiasts’, ‘Kabir has transformed me’, ‘The festival got me close to myself and to people who matter the most to me’
These are few of the many reflections shared by the people associated with the festival. Some were smiling, some were lost, some had moist eyes, some had parched throat…. But everyone was there. They were there, drenched in love and humility, feeling blessed to be a part of something so serene and beautiful, something that touched their hearts and made them come out of that worldly shell.
I was a volunteer for the festival. I was the youngest one. Although I was there last year also, but I was too immature to understand the depth of what was happening around me, what was being sung. It had touched me then too, but it hit me this time with a force that blew me away like a bullet to the head. The performances were just the part of the puzzle. Major pieces were the people! The people who made it happen. People who by their selfless love and conviction helped build this great amalgamation of music and dance. From the drivers to the artists, everyone did their bit so perfectly and enjoying every moment of it.
My first event by Lakhon da and the Sufi Gospel Project was amazing, gearing me up for the other performances that would be coming up! Then Neeraj’s Kabir Cafe performance at BlueFrog rocked me out of my seat and made me tap to the tunes of Kabir. Watching Rama Vaidyanathan dance so gracefully made me realize the true beauty of classical dance – something we are losing out on to bollywood or western dance forms! The morning satsang with all the artists was beyond any words! With everyone dancing and singing along, not caring about anything except the music and the energy around them. Then came Sanjukta’s performance. Ubha Vitewari – A performance that gave me goosebumps! Those expressions, that rhythm and the dance on it. True to her word, she went above the lyrics and made an impact with the rhythm, the music, the dance, making your heart thump on those bass beats and go racing on the tabla. At the end the finale, by Prahlad Ji, Mooralala ji, Bhanwari Devi and Ankit, Vedanth and Bindu. Everyone was spellbound by the end of it.
The Final jam at Priti Aunty’s place was just cherry on top. Making it an unforgettable evening.
Maybe I’m able to write down what I experienced, so I’ll just end here. with this :
Kabir Kabir tu kahan hai, Kabir Kabir tu kahan hai;
Dundha tujhe idhar udhar, par mila na mujhe tu kidhar;
Suna jo maine tujhe, Padha jo maine tujhe;
Samjha maine tabh, Ki basta hai tu har taraf.
Din Ke Baad 