A spiritual odyssey
SAVITHA GAUTAM
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The spotlight is on the relevance of Kabir and his poems in today’s world, the Baul singers of Bengal.
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The video recording of the fall of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, is showing on TV in the background. Young men are seen selling VCDs of the same on the streets on Ayodhya. One of them says, “These VCDs sell like hot cakes. They are a form of entertainment here!” When asked if what happened that day and later was right, one young man argues, “Well, why did Babur have to choose to build a mosque over the Ram temple? By damaging that building, we were fighting for what is rightfully ours!”
That’s how “Had Anhad,” a 100-minute documentary directed by Bangalore-based Shabnam Virmani, opens. But the film is not about the December 6 event or its aftermath. The film tries to find answers to the question, ‘What is religion?’ in the context of the 15th century saint-poet Kabir. It is the first in a series of four films by the Kabir Project.
Piecing together experiences while journeying across India and Pakistan to learn more about the mystic and ‘his Ram’, the film provides an insight into the politics of Kabir’s dohas (poetry) and a genre of folk music that has evolved in the process.
Compelling folk songs
If you love folk music, don’t miss ‘Had-Anhad.” For there are some awesome performances by Prahlad Tipaniya, the compelling folk singer from Ujjaini, Mukhtiar Ali, who was born into a family of traditional singers from Pugal in Bikaner, and Fariduddin, a qawali singer from Karachi. Even though the singers come from completely different backgrounds, their love for Kabir bind them together. As Tipaniya explains the meaning of “Anantha naam Brahma ka” (Bramhan has a myriad names, but is one), you see the conviction in his words. Mukhtiar Ali explains the meaning of “Dhai Akar prem ka, whohi tho pandit hoye” in his ‘satsangh’ where Hindus and Muslims participate. Listen to him sing ‘Mujhe ek pal chaen na aaye’ with his sons, and you are mesmerised by the mystical magic of Kabir combined with a rich musical tradition.
It took three attempts for Virmani to a visa to enter Karachi to record the words of Fariduddin. But once they do, they meet a man who is charismatic and a brilliant singer. His take on who Kabir was adds yet another dimension to the story.
The film also travels to Varanasi, where Kabir is believed to have be born. Though many go by the most accepted story of Kabir’s birth is that he was born to Brahmin parents but was brought by the Muslim weaver couple Niru and Nima, the Muslims choose to differ.
The camera then moves to Maghar in Uttar Pradesh, where there are two resting places of the saint poet, one a Muslim dargah and another maintained by the Kabir Panthis.
While on one level, the film seeks to revisit the story of Kabir, on another, it questions the relevance of modern day discourse on secularism and peace, and exposes today’s religious beliefs which often tend to oppress and marginalise communities.
Can the deep philosophy of Kabir and other Sufi poets help in transforming a society which is mired by rituals and strong religious conflicts? Well, the debate continues.
‘Had Anhad’ will be telecast as two parts. Part I will be shown on January 14-15, 9.30 p.m. (repeat on January 18, 1 p.m.) and Part 2 on January 21-22, 9.30 p.m. (repeat on January 25, 1 p.m.)
Another documentary which again has spiritual shades is Sutapa Deb’s ‘Baul Singers’. The film looks at one of the most musically productive group of minstrels from Bengal and Bangladesh, who with their ubiquitous ektara and Baul-gan, have inspired even the likes of Bob Dylan and George Harrison (who have worked with Purna Das Baul). The camera moves from Bengal to interior Karnataka, looking at Baul singers, even while questioning whether the tradition is slowly fading. We learn that the Bauls are a heterogeneous group, and their songs blend the philosophy of Tantra, Sufism, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. In fact, they are believed to have been recorded as a major sect as early as in the 18th century.
‘Baul Singers’ will be telecast on NDTV’s Documentary 24x7 on January 11, 1 p.m.
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