Varanasi, the birthplace of the mystic-saint poet Kabir, comes alive with an annual musical celebration of his inclusive philosophy and the lyrical aspect of his teachings. Along with performances by leading exponents of the Benares gharana of Hindustani classical music, the audience is treated to folk traditions, Sufi music, ghazals and the dadra, thumri and khayal gayaki styles. Sessions on art and literature inspired by Kabir; specially curated walks with local experts; and stalls showcasing regional cuisines are among the non-musical highlights of the Mahindra Kabira Festival experience.
Hindustani classical musicians Ajoy Chakraborty, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Shubha Mudgal and Purbayan Chatterjee, folk singer Malini Awasthi and folk-fusion band Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe are a few of the artists to have performed. Writers Purushottam Agrawal and Devdutt Pattanaik are among those who have presented talks at the Mahindra Kabira Festival since it was launched in 2016.
The festival, which was not held in 2020 owing to the pandemic, returned in 2021. The line-up for the 2022 edition featured Rajasthani folk singer Bagga Khan; “India’s first female dastango” Fouzia Dastango; the duo of sitar player Shubhendra Rao and cello player Saskia Rao; folk-fusion bands The Raghu Dixit Project and The Tapi Project; and sarod player Vikash Maharaj and his sons, tabla player Prabhash Maharaj and sitar player Abhishek Maharaj.
