Sufi music show this weekend

The legendary sufi poets Baba Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain from Punjab wrote about denouncing meaningless rituals, binaries of gender, heaven and hell, social class and ego. It is these topics that sufi singer Radhika Sood Nayak will cover in her 90-minute performance, ‘Ki Jaana Mein Kaun’, scheduled for this weekend.

Radhika, who was introduced to sufi music through the work of Pakistani singer Abida Parveen, was trained in classical Hindustani music. She eventually started singing bhajans on the radio. However, when she stumbled upon the work of Abida, she found a genre that she was instantly drawn to. “Initially, I would sing covers of sufi icons such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Nooran sisters and their grandmother Bibi Nooran, among others. It was on the advice of a friend that I started composing my own tunes,” shares the Mumbai-based artiste, adding, “Usually, I start off with a raag. I enjoy reading the poetry and responding to it through music. It’s an organic process.”

The performance in Bengaluru, her first in the city, will feature eight to 10 songs. As the songs are in Punjabi, the singing will be interspersed with explanation of the verses and narration. Radhika will be accompanied by guitarist Neil Mukherjee and percussionist Vinayak Netke on the tabla.

‘Ki Jaana Mein Kaun’, June 18, 6.30 pm, at Shoonya Centre For Art and Somatic Practices, Lal Bagh Main Road.