JOIN USEvening of Sufi Rock’, featuring Zila Khan and City-based band Agam, was held recently at DPS Whitefield. The event witnessed quite a decent crowd. The show was more like a festive reunion of the students of the school as well as their parents. Food stalls were set up at the venue as well and the audience members could be seen lining up in front of them.
A few students of the school presented a song-and-dance performance for the guests of the evening and governor Hansraj Bhardwaj and union minister of external affairs, Salman Khurshid were deeply impressed. After this, the main event — Zila and Agam’s performances — kicked off. Of the many numbers that Zila performed was the popular Khwaja Mere Khwaja, where she invited the audience to sing along with her. Other songs included Wahi Khuda Hai, Piya Re and Duma Dum Mast Kalander in her unique voice, which was able to capture the audience members’ attention.
Agam, a Carnatic progressive rock band, performed with Zila. They rendered various pieces that left the audience amazed, including Brahma’s Dance, Swans of Saraswati, Malhar Jam and ‘Boat Song’. Harish Sivaramakrishnan, lead vocalist of the band, says, “It was really nice to be able to perform with Zila and mix our music styles to make a great end product. Her music is so organic and nice to collaborate with. It was a very rewarding experience.”
The other performers on the stage included Ajay Prasanna on the flute, Ishtiaq on the tabla and Jarvis on the keyboards. At the grand finale, Salman Khurshid was also seen singing Ab Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo on the stage with Zila.
K Shankar, a parent who attended the show, says, “I’ve never witnessed a conglomeration of such different styles on one platform. It is this uniqueness that makes the event a different experience altogether. The different styles blended well and it was nice of Zila to get the audience involved in the act too.”
The organiser of the event, Annabelle Manwaring, pro vice-chairman of DPS Whitefield, opines, “Despite the show being held at such a far place, it did see a decent crowd. We thought it would be nice to bring Sufi music to the City’s audience and showcase a mix of cultures. The audience appreciated it whole-heartedly.”