Women saint-poets in focus in music series

Vocalist Devaki Pandit curates a travelling concert

Mumbai-based classical singer Devaki Pandit is bringing a concert of women bhakti poets to Bengaluru on Sunday.

Conceptualised by Devaki over the course of six years, ‘Advaita’ is a tribute to seven saint poetesses from across the country — Akka Mahadevi from Karnataka, Andal from Tamil Nadu, Gangasati from Gujarat, Mirabai from Rajasthan, Lalleshwari from Kashmir, and Janabai and Muktabai from Maharashtra.

It is a travelling concert series and Bengaluru is her second stop. It premiered in Indore last month.

“I didn’t want all the saints to be from one region. I’ve made an effort to pick women saints from different states, time periods, and backgrounds. The common link between them is that they’re all poets and they believe in the power of love. They believe love unites all, whereas everything else divides humanity,” explains Devaki.

Talking about the term ‘Advaita’, Devaki clarifies that the concert has little to do with the namesake school of philosophy. “Here, Advaita simply means being one with God, or any higher power you believe in. That is what all the seven poetesses stood for,” she talks about the event, presented by Raagbhakti and managed by Pancham Nishad.

The concert consists of 15 performances — two performances dedicated to each saint and a special tribute to all saints as a closing act.

“Over the course of six years, I studied the literature and poetry of these saints in their respective regional languages, their socio-cultural impact, and the folk music traditions of their states. We chose two works of each poet — a mixture of vachanas, bhajans, dohas, vaakh, and abhangas — and translated them to Hindi,” she says.

However, each saint’s poetry and songs will be performed in the local language in their respective state.

“For example, while performing in Bengaluru, the rest of the show will be in Hindi but Akka Mahadevi’s part will be in Kannada,” she adds.

The performances involve an ensemble of 11 members. While Devaki has independently composed music — using local folk elements — for each saint, poet and writer, Vaibhav Joshi has scripted and narrated all performances. “Vaibhav has also translated each saint’s work into Hindi. Our goal wasn’t word-for-word translation, but bringing out the true essence of each saint,” she adds.

*Advaita, February 19, 6 pm, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram. Tickets available online.