Music, mystic poetry & Melody are rooted in ‘Sakoon’- therefore – ‘Sacred’, hence the name – ‘The Sacred Amritsar’ and the theme ‘Sakoon’- akin to being in a state of bliss, lulled Amritsar -the spiritual heart of Punjab during the 4th edition of the Festival in the holy city. The ‘Holy’ Amritsar that shares a border with its twin city Lahore, in Pakistan, a vibrant cultural hub from pre-partition times that shares the same spirit of Punjabi revelry. The twin cities never lose a moment to let loose their infectious euphoria over any opportunity to celebrate. Recently, ‘Basant’, essentially a Hindu-Sikh Festival, celebrating the joys of spring with kite flying and partying, was widely celebrated with almost a manic zeal in Lahore, which broke a 25-year ban on kite flying and celebrated 3-day Basant fest with skyrocketing rents for rooftops, lavish Terrace parties and nocturnal kite flying, and a gusto that is the envy of Amritsar.
Mirroring the similarities of celebrations in full-on style, ‘Sacred Amritsar Fest’ transformed Fort Gobindgarh, essentially a martial rampart, into a sanctuary of music and mystic poetry, spreading the ‘Sakoon’ amongst the city, mainland, and culture lovers. Attracting even the well-heeled to step out into the open and savour a cultural cocktail of melodious classical music, dance and taste the finer arts of storytelling, books and varied genre of literature. This, along with choicest food from the city and North India, including the Kaladi Bun- the famous mozzarella cheese of Jammu, alongwith the city’s iconic Kulchas and Sarson da Saag with Makki di Roti.
As the evening sun dipped below the battlements of the Qila, the festive camaraderie and ‘befikri’ truly embodied Kashmiri Kailash Kher’s soulful musical pieces, tracing the eventful spiritual journey of this artist that touched and mesmerized the audience. Hundreds came to savor the music of this little man with the loudest musical throw. This Padamshree-awarded artist embraced the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’- The world is one family, in its truest spirit, he said, and he had self-declared himself to be an orphan from the time he fled his home; his fans are his only family. Kher’s rustic humour too brought a guffaw- seeing the front rows breaking into a Bhangra to his thumping beat songs, Kher declared smilingly – ” Bhut acha dansaa now singooo …!” and broke into another hit “Kese baataein kio tujh ko chahen ……tu janey na “, or his signature ‘Saiyaan’ and ‘Teri Deewani’ – both numbers embodying a deep longing for their lovers. His moving ‘Aaj mere Piya Ghar Avvange …’ is unmatched. Known for his raw, earthy vocals that bridge the gap between folk, Sufi, and contemporary music, Kher’s presence was a perfect fit for a festival dedicated to the “timeless verse of mystic poets.”
And how could Amritsar miss veteran artist Usha Uthap’s presentation of ‘Duma Dum Mast Kalandar’, a song that has resonated across man-made borders for more than a millennium. “Mast Kalandar is a ‘Dhamaal”! Sheema Kermani, a celebrated danseuse, commented to me once in Karachi, where Duma Dum is widely performed in ‘Peer Sthaans’.
Another memorable musical performance was by the Manganiyars of Rajasthan and Kutle Khan, with foot-tapping energetic folk music and melodies that evoked Rajasthan’s legendary dunes and desert colours.
The thought-provoking dimension of the fest came to the fore with ‘afterlives: The Ghosts around us’, a reflective session by Fest organizer Sanjoy K Roy in conversation with Eric Chopra. It was a compelling dialogue on memory, the unseen, and consciousness, transmitted through time and the universe. The duo found common ground with Eric’s debut book ‘Ghosted’ and Roy’s “There’s a Ghost in my room”. In this beautiful melee of colours and giant paper puppets straddling with the audience stood a cheerful Roy, – “We are just so happy to do all that we keep saying, – to restore, preserve and unlock the value that we have in a well-built heritage. The power of music is to heal, to question, and to unite, and that’s what it is doing”, said the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, who organized the Fest.
The Broader Festival Canvas
The Fest showcased history buffs and travel explorers to the labyrinthine lanes of Androon Sher- the ancient city sites, the Golden Temple and partition Museum, connecting them with the city’s spiritual and historical legacy. While Kailash Kher provided the grand finale, the three-day festival was a holistic journey through the soul of Amritsar: Serene Sarod recitals and Gurbani sessions were held at the Morning Music session. An intellectual discourse saw provocative conversation, at the Partition Museum, featuring Harinder Baweja, a Senior Journalist and author in an interesting exchange, with Navdeep Suri, a former career diplomat and ambassador from India to various key countries.
