Fourth Edition of Mahindra Kabira Festival Brings Together Rare Collaborations in Varanasi

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | September 16, 2019 | News

Mahindra Group Teamwork Arts Mahindra Kabira Festival

The fourth edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival is on its way back to Varanasi to celebrate the life, works and philosophy of 15th-century mystic-poet Kabir. Its an initiative of the Mahindra Group and performing arts and entertainment company, Teamwork Arts.

Mahindra Kabira Festival is a two-day programme of music, literature, discourse, curated walks, boat rides on the Ganga, and an array of local cuisine, the Festival will run from November 22nd to 24th, 2019, offering an experience inspired by Kabir’s teachings. 

The Festival’s 2019 line-up includes performers like Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café, Neeraj Mishra and Ujwal Nagar, along with veterans like Om Prakash Nayak, Mooralala Marwada, Shabnam Virmani and noted sarangi player Ustad Kamal Sabri, among others, at the Shivala and Guleria Ghats.  

Talented musicians associated with the organisation will present exclusive jam sessions at the Festival. The Kabir Math will partner with the Festival to bring to the forefront more of the mystic poet’s teachings.

Purushottam Agrawal will notify the audience on Kabir’s work and philosophy over a literary discourse. There will be a storytelling performance by actor and co-founder of Jashn-E-Qalam, KC Shankar. The Festival will also offer an experience of being on the enigmatic mystic’s trail through ‘Heritage Walks’, curated and conducted by Navneet Raman and Ajay Pandey from the Benares Cultural Foundation. Local artists from Kala Prakash – sitar player Neeraj Mishra and flutist Rakesh Kumar will present cultural performances. 

Jay Shah, Vice President, Head – Cultural Outreach, Mahindra Group, said, “The ethos of the Mahindra Group centres around effecting positive change in the lives of the people and communities we engage with through our businesses and initiatives. In addition to this, respect for the dignity of the individual is one of our most important core values. The Mahindra Kabira Festival helps us further these ideas and reinforces our commitment to the arts. The first three editions of the Festival have met with great appreciation and praise, and we are delighted to continue presenting this festival in its fourth year with a very exciting programme.”

Sanjoy Roy, M.D, Teamwork Arts, said, “We are delighted once again to celebrate the profound clear-sightedness of Kabir, the eternal mystic, in his birthplace, with a line-up of celebrated musicians and litterateurs. Like every year, we look forward to an evocative experience at the Mahindra Kabira Festival 2019, which will salute not only Kabir's universality but also his acute relevance in today's chaotic world, where his words hold up the promise of simplicity and peace.”