It is 5.30 a.m. There’s a sharp chillness in the air. The vast expanse of water appears dark grey under the heavy mist. Rows of boats are moored along the Assi Ghat while some carrying people sail across the river. Hundreds of seagulls flap over the water surface, swooping down occasionally to catch fish. The scene appears like a beautiful painting.
Little girls chase you with trays full of diyas decorated with flowers; the flames gently flickering in the breeze. “Please buy and leave them afloat on the water with a wish,” says one of them. I do so, and rush to hop onto the motor boat waiting to take a few of us to Darbhanga ghat.
The ghats of Varanasi embrace every emotion. At some, people take a dip and perform prayers for a better life; at others, pyres are set up to cremate the dead. Sounds of conches, bells and chants fade as a comforting silence engulfs you when the boat wades through the smooth-flowing water. There are as many fancily-dressed tourists as there are ash-smeared sadhus. Many Benaras Gharana stalwarts have done their riyaaz on the steps of these ghats, where mystic-poet Kabir gained spiritual and philosophical insights. His couplets, replete with life-lessons, echo as we alight at Darbhanga ghat that wears a festive look with a makeshift stage in bright yellow and red.
The Brijrama palace, an 18th century royal house-turned-heritage hotel, overlooks the venue of the second Mahindra Kabira Festival. The guests are being served kulhad chai as the sun, a little ball of red, rises gradually spreading its warm glow across the water. Swaras seem to gain a greater depth and Kabir’s poetry a clearer understanding, as lilting notes emerge from young Kumar Sarang’s sarangi and Rashmi Agarwal sings ‘Naiharva humko na bhave, sai ki nagri param ati sundar, jahan koi jav na avey’ and ‘Jheeni jheeni beeni chadariya’.
“Nothing can be more fulfilling than singing Kabir’s dohas at his birth place. Music is as much about voice, orchestration and lyrics as the ambience. There could be no better way to internalise his thoughts,” says Rashmi.
Singer-songwriter of ‘Maati’ fame, Harpreet, who performed on the second day at the fest, feels initiatives such as these are a great way of taking Kabir’s wisdom through diverse genres to the younger generation. “When I began to compose his poetry for this event, I realised the timelessness of the verses; their strong connect with everyday life. Kabir, Bulleh Shah, Avtar Singh ‘Pash’, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’…there is no dearth of songs in India,” says Harpreet, who won over the large audience that occupied every little space at Assi ghat in the evening, with his earthy voice, intense guitar riffs and striking simplicity.
harpreet
The fest brought together classical artistes (including the inimitable Shubha Mudgal), contemporary ensembles and folk bands. By the final gig (of sufi rockstar Kailash Kher), the message was clear — harmonium or tabla, drums or guitar, nagada or ektara, Kabir’s couplets rise above musical divides.
According to Jay Shah, vice-president, cultural outreach, Mahindra Group, “being associated with this festival is not just about corporate sponsorship. Kabir’s thoughts on equality and brotherhood are what the company is built on. Initially M&M (Mahindra and Mahindra) stood for Mahindra and Mohammed. Ghulam Mohammed was one of the founders, who migrated to Pakistan in 1947.”
“Kabir is the ultimate truth. You can find jeevan darshan in his dohas ,” says Hindustani classical exponent Sucharita Gupta, who performed at the fest. “Though I am from Assam, music drew me to this city (disciple of Siddheshwari Devi). Benaras ki mitti mein masti aur sangeet hain . Thumri, dadra, chaiti, hori, kajri and many other elements of Hindustani music have their roots here. There is a song for every occassion. Any wonder that it is thronged by people from around the world, who find quietude in this chaos,” she smiles.
Christine Colten from Australia is one such. She feels, such fests are a wonderful way to discover the heritage of a place. “Though I had read up about Varanasi on the Internet, only after coming here do I realise what it means to be in the oldest inhabited city in the world.”
Pradeep Sanyal, a young IT executive from Mumbai, thinks music becomes more accessible in such a setting. “I knew Kabir only from the dohas in the Hindi school textbook. These musicians have made me understand the essence of the couplets and the spirit of his philosophy that resonates so amazingly with the current scenario.”
It is 11 p.m. as the festival draws to a close. In the dark of the night, the riverscape appears more magical, a blanket of ink black streaked with the shimmer of lights from the ghats. There is absolute silence, broken only by the lapping of the water. And the mind wanders back to Kabir. Dheere dheere re mana, Dheere sab kuch hoye, Mali seenche so ghara, Ritu aaye phal hoye (slowly O mind, everything happens at its pace, the gardener may water a hundred pots, fruit arrives only during its season).
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Kabir trail
A heritage walk as part of the festival took us to the quaint math where Kabir lived in a hut with his Muslim weaver-parents Neeru and Nima. Later, he began to hold satsangs on a chabutara (platform) here.
The Kabir Chaura mohalla is a narrow, winding street lined with houses on both sides. As you approach the math, beautiful murals on the walls depict scenes from the saint-poet’s life. Members of the Kabir Panthis have been living in the math from the 16th Century. The samadhi-mandir here was built by Raja Veerdev Singh Ju Baghel, ruler of Kashi, in 1578. The Beejak Mandir is where kabir undertook sadhana to attain beejak (knowledge). There is also a library that houses more than 700 books, mostly on the mystic saint.
Popular address
Imagine a street inhabited by doyens such as Bade Ram Das Mishra (grandfather of Rajan-Sajan Mishra), Gopal Prasad Mishra, Anokhelal Mishra, Gopi Krishan, Pt Ramsahay, Pt Shri Kanthe Maharaj, Pratap Maharaj, Pt Kishan Maharaj, Siddheshwari Devi and Sitara Devi . The Kabir Chaura mohalla could be refered to as the cradle of Benaras gharana and Kathak. Most of the houses remain as children and relatives of these artistes continue to stay here and uphold the legacy.
