The Day the Music Lived

Ruhaniyat, a mystic music festival, is bringing in artistes from India, Egypt, Iran and Indonesia. Don’t miss it

It’s difficult to describe the mystical beauty of Ruhaniyat. The usual cliches of ‘soulful’ and ‘uplifting’ fail miserably when describing an event as beautiful and meaningful. This annual mystic music festival, after all, has come to be more than just an event. Those who’ve been part of this festival over the years say the power of Ruhaniyat needs to be felt to be believed. Sitting in the audience listening to the haunting strains of the ektara or the devotional kalams of the Sufis, one can’t help but feel the presence of the Divine.

Currently in its ninth year, Ruhaniyat continues its tryst with the mystical and promises an amalgamation of shabad singers, mystic musicians, folk singers, bauls and qawwals from various parts of the world. Starting in Mumbai on 21 and 22 November, the festival will travel to the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune over the next three months. Conceived and conceptualised by Nandini and Mahesh Babu of Banyan Tree Events, Ruhaniyat 2009-10 attempts to showcase the rare arts tucked away in the tiny hamlets of India, Egypt, Iran and Indonesia.

This year, the musical extravaganza includes Baul songs by Parvathy Baul, Sufiana Kalam by Abdul Rashid Hafiz and group from Kashmir, Kabirpanthi by Prahlad Tipaniya, Sufi Qawwali by the Sabri Brothers and Arabic Sufiana Mausiqi by Egyptian artistes Naglaa Fathy-Mona Fathy and Mohamad Farghaly and troupe. The organisers believe that in the present times of violence and turmoil, the wisdom and the unconditional love of the saints and mystics are all the more significant.

In the nine years of its existence, Ruhaniyat has come to be associated with the celebration of music, and of life itself. However, for a festival that is now so popular, the beginnings were far from smooth. “We wanted to start Ruhaniyat in 1999, but didn’t find any sponsors. Then Mahesh Babu thought of ushering in the millennium with this festival and yet again, it didn’t work out,” says Nandini. The duo finally decided to go ahead with the festival without any sponsorship. “For the first two years, Mahesh Babu paid out of his own pocket. Then one evening, Mr Ramadorai of TCS was part of the audience, and he expressed an interest in helping us out,” says Nandini. And now, Ruhaniyat has become one of the biggest platforms for mystic music.

As the festival grew, its following grew as well. At first, people didn’t really know what mystic music was all about. The word ‘Sufi’ was associated with something exotic and people just came to have a ‘hat ke’ experience. But as the audience got exposed to various genres of qawwalis and kalams, they began to appreciate the finer nuances of the different styles of music. “Baul music is all about different states of bhava and bhakti. People have begun to appreciate those and are now looking for a more intense and deep experience. They don’t just want good music but want to know the antar aatma of a song,” says Parvathy Baul, who has been performing at Ruhaniyat since its inception.

Such is the appeal of the festival that a mere mention of it can spark off an animated chatter among artistes. Take Sayeed Sabri Sahab of the famous Sabri Brothers group for instance, who can’t stop thanking Mahesh Babu enough for creating awareness about qawwali. “The beauty of this festival is that it has made people aware that qawwali bas shauk ki cheez nahi hai, balki ek ibadat ki cheez hai.” A seasoned artist, who has been singing for the last 74 years, Sabri Sahab gets frustrated when people want to listen to a qawwali because it is ‘romantic’. “Woh toh chichore log hote hain. But seasoned listeners who can go beyond the literal meaning of words know just how intense qawwalis are,” he adds.

Over the years, musicians like Sabri Sahab and Parvathy Baul have become a part of this cosy little family of performers. The annual festival becomes a sort of family reunion where the grand patriarchs and matriarchs of melody come together to revel in the warmth of their music. “It feels like the jalsas of old times when all artistes used to come together and just create music all day long. At times we don’t even know each other’s language but can understand one another through our songs and expression,” says Parvathy Baul.

And this year, musicians from Egypt will join this family. “We have a very powerful group from Upper Egypt performing this time. Naglaa Fathy, along with her twin Mona, will be performing some very intense songs. Last year, we took her to Nagpur and the moment she started singing, it felt like some celestial being had descended on the earth,” says Nandini.

Yet another group from Egypt coming for the festival is Mohamad Farghaly and troupe. Performing for the third time as part of Ruhaniyat, the group is proud to showcase its legacy of Arabic music to the Indian audience. Their piece will begin with the Maqams, which are in essence very similar to the Indian raga. “An Arabic band is called a Takht and consists of various instruments like the Oud, Kanon, Nay, Kamanja and the drums. While I play the Oud or a fretless lute, my son handles the Kanon, an instrument with 78 strings played with both hands and my brother plays the Req or the drums,” explains Mohamad Farghaly.

Having interacted with Indian performers like Gopalan Pullayan from Kerala, Mamma Khan and group from Rajasthan and Dev Dildar from Punjab in his past visits to this country, Farghaly can’t help but draw parallels between Egyptian and Indian music. “I love listening to Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi just as much as I enjoy listening to our Egyptian stalwarts like Oum Kolsom, Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Abdel Halim Hafez. Our two nations are so similar in many ways of living, especially in the love of music. When I am in India, I feel I am home,” he says.

This year, the festival has a surprise in store—a coffee table book with behind-the-scenes photographs and quirky anecdotes. Nandini remembers an incident in Bangalore when she got a call from members of the Bandanawazi group. Their father was unwell and needed to be rushed to hospital. “We all had tears in our eyes when we saw the young son take on the mantle and render a beautiful piece as an ode to his father,” she says. That is the power of Ruhaniyat—it is a balm for broken spirits, a guiding light that inspires people to find meaning in their lives. “Ruhaniyat has taught me that until you surrender your ego, you shall not succeed. I am just a doer, there is nothing in my hands. But once I surrender, the light of Ruhaniyat guides me on,” Nandini says.

About The Author

Avantika Bhuyan