Bhoomija presents: Shabad Dhun Laagi 2022 with Mahesha Ram, Jagariya Mandli and Shabnam Virmani
A treat awaits Bengaluru audiences as Bhoomija’s signature Sufi event returns! In this edition of Shabad Dhun Laagi, let famed folk artistes Mahesha Ram and the Jagariya Mandli family take you on a spiritual journey as they bring the mesmerising beauty and mysticism of Sufi poetry to the stage. Renowned sufi singer, researcher and filmmaker Shabnam Virmani curates the evening, while also presenting audiences with translations and stories. An evening where time slows down; an evening to surely lose oneself in!
About the Artists:
Mahesha Ram
Known for his meditative and mesmeric music, renowned folk singer Mahesha Ram belongs to the Meghwal community of Rajasthan, a community that keeps alive Bhakti poetry through its powerful oral tradition. Brought up in an environment rich with the songs of poets such as Kabir, Gorakh, and Rohal Fakir, Mahesha Ram takes the beauty of Bhakti poetry to stages both national and international, while also ensuring the art form’s continuity through participation in the oral ‘sant vaani’ traditions, satsangs, performances at birth, death, and marriage ceremonies, teaching songs to members of his village, and conducting workshops in various parts of Gujarat and Bangalore. Mahesha Ram’s son, who now performs with his father, keeps the family legacy alive.
Jagariya Mandli
Guardians of the ‘Aradhiya Bhajan’ tradition, the Jagariya Mandli families have safekept the tradition of singing mystic poetry through generations spanning centuries. Highly renowned artists from the community, Devjibhai, Devabhai, Damji, and Danabhai, take the beauty of the artform to various stages around the country.
Shabnam Virmani
An award-winning documentary filmmaker, Shabnam Virmani’s work in filmmaking can be rivalled by her work exploring mystic poetry and its challenges and philosophy through a deep engagement with oral folk traditions. Shabnam’s fascination with the art form found expression in various performances, translations, curations, festivals (in both rural and urban areas), a sizeable digital archive, and a National-Award-winning film, ‘Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein’ - all under the umbrella of ‘The Kabir Project’ that she founded and runs at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, where she is also an artist in residence. Shabnam is also a co-founder of the Drishti Media Arts and Human Collective and co-director of the ‘Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan’, a much-lauded community radio programme in Gujarat.
