Mystic traditions come alive

Ruhaniyat, the largest and probably the only all-India sufi and mystic music festival of its kind, enters the second decade this year. This festival is all set to revisit the Jayamahal Palace for the sixth consecutive year with a spectacular line-up of rare art forms. Ruhaniyat was conceived by Mahesh Babu way back in 2001 in Mumbai.

The sixth edition of Ruhaniyat will feature some unique art forms like Bharud and Abhang of Maharashtra, Sufiana Kalams from Kashmir, Sema from Turkey, Baul songs from West Bengal to mention a few. The core strength of Ruhaniyat is that it does not feature any main stream commercial artistes but actual practitioners of mystic traditions who express complex and deep thoughts in the most enchanting manner.

These are not just performances but acts of ‘ibadat’ or a call to the supreme by his devotee or lover. Ruhaniyat is more than just a festival of different art forms. It is like a gathering of individuals seeking harmony within, with the world and oneness with the supreme.

The performances are Sema by ‘Whirling Dervishes’ (Turkey), Baul songs by Parvathy Baul (Bengal), ‘Mystic Kalam’ by Indra and Shakur Khan and group (Rajasthan), Bharud and Abhang by Avdhoot Gandhi (Maharashtra), Sufiana Kalam and mystic songs by Abdul Rashid Hafiz (Kashmir), Sufi Qawwali by Shameem Nayeem and group (Jaipur).

For details, call 09323119381 or log onto www.ruhaniyat.in