A musical play recreating the glorious Indian Bhakti Movement
And the
Times of Akbar the Great
First presented at
The Bhavan Centre
On 19th November, 2011
Sant Kabirdas or very simply Kabir was the exemplar of a wonderful era of Indian history now designated as the Bhakti Movement. Kabir vehemently opposed dogmas – religious or otherwise. He was illiterate and his language was very pithy and simple and he believed in a simple path to oneness with God. He became known as one of the leaders of the Bhakti Movement – known for its loving devotion to God. Among his illustrious peers were Meerabai, Nanak, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Tulsidas. This era also inspired the flowering of a very creative and softer streak of Islam –known as Sufism – which has given us the gifts of beautiful Urdu shairis and ghazals.
Kabir’s compositions – his dohas, salokas, sakhis – were first compiled by Kshiti Mohan Sen – Grand father of the Nobel laureate economist and philosopher Amartya Sen. ‘Kahata Kabir’ brings you gems from that wonderful collection, embellished with beautiful music and dance. It will also figure amazing compositions by other poets and musicians including Meera bhajans, Nanak’s shabads and Sufi poetry. The story is told through with and humour by characters in period costumes recapturing the relaxed creative ambience of medieval India and the times of Akbar the Great.
The scenes and conversations depicted here are entirely fictitious. Yet the glorious epoch this show recaptures – the philosophy of Kabir and Nanak; the times of Akbar and his nine jewels such as Abul Fazl, Birbal and Tansen – this experiment in cultural assimilation, in today’s strife torn society, shines as a dazzling beacon of world history.
Actors: Deep Dasgupta, Raj Aich, Bhaskar Dasgupta, Anirban Mandal, Arpita Ray
Dancers: Mukti Mukku, Ashwini Kalsekar, Khavita Kaur
Vocalists: Dalia Dasgupta, Shruti (Pooja) Dasgupta, Bablo Mandal, Pratyusha Chaudhuri, Bhaskar Dasgupta
Tabla: Gurdain Rayatt, Harkirat Singh
Flute: Clive Bell
Piano Accordian: Victor Massey