Bhakti Utsav 2018: Soak in the soulful tunes of devotion at this musical festival

To celebrate India’s rich devotional music, a three-day festival, Bhakti Utsav 2018, is here with a line-up of popular singers from across the country. Organised by Delhi Government’s Sahitya Kala Parishad, the event, which will be held at Nehru Park starting April 20, will have Padma Shri Hariharan, Nooran Sisters, vocalist Pushkar Lele and ghazal singer Pooja Gaitonde present their best compositions.

Lele has been performing in the Capital for the last 25 years, but he always looks forward to stage a show here in front of discerning audiences. “It’s exciting to perform in Delhi. I shall be presenting abhangs of Sant Tukaram, a celebrated 17th century saint from Maharashtra who is arguably one of the greatest poets in Marathi language and an epitome of the Warkari tradition. In my presentation, I will begin with a traditional ‘gajar’ of Jai Jai Ram Krishna Hari followed by about 5-6 abhangs,” he says.

Gaitonde will perform sufi songs such as Dama Dum Mast Kalandar, Khwaja Mere Khwaja, Chhap Tilak, and many more. She says, “Delhi is very close to my heart. I had performed in Jawaharlal Nehru University earlier and the response was commendable. The event is an attempt to preserve Indian culture and I feel proud to be a part of this celebration. Devotional music plays a great role in spreading the ideas of peace, equality, love, compassion and unity.”

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also stresses on the importance and purpose of such a festival. “We celebrate the idea of ‘bhakti’ in its diverse forms. Various faiths have stressed on the importance of music in reaching the divine – the paths are different, but the destination is one. In these difficult times, when hatred and violence have enveloped our society, it is important for us to reclaim our religious traditions and celebrate the pluralism in our devotional music,” he says.