News - Na Kaabe Kailas Mein

by Life Positive

Little wonder then that in our conflict-ridden times, more and more seek shelter in the wisdom of this humble weaver. Reflecting this resurgence of interest is the Kabir Festival, a national movement that recently had a Mumbai stopover. Organised by the Kabir Project, the festival has been travelling across the country, sparking a fresh faith in the possibility of unitive thinking. After the 2002 Gujarat riots, for six years, Shabnam Virmani, a documentary film-maker and the force behind the Kabir Project, travelled with folk singers who have sung Kabir for generations. The journeys resulted in four documentary films as well as several recordings of folk as well as classical musicians who express Kabir through their work. “I had an intense desire to make peace with a world view which was dualist. I was searching for a world view that goes beyond this dualism,” she said while interacting with the audience at the Kabir festival in Chennai. Kabir Festivals have been held in several cities of India and abroad. While the festivals have a common thread in terms of screening of the musical documentary films made by Shabnam Virmani, talks and discussions by prominent speakers and live music concerts by folk and classical singers from different parts of India are also included.
The Kabir Festival: Yoking dualistic approaches The festivals also weave in threads of local colour by including local artistes, fresh ideas and making collaborations with diverse organisations and outreach programmes.

The first seven days of the Kabir Festival were given to run-up events with individual schools, colleges and communities, which included screening of documentary films followed by a facilitated discussion on music and dance to foster in the youth awareness and understanding of the message of Kabir.

The last three days of the festival had multiple events at different locations, all open to the public on first-come-first-served basis.

Let us hope that the wise man’s words can seep into our thinking and actions too.

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