A weekend to remember with musical mystic Sufis

Jahan-e-Khusrau, the Sufi music festival presented by Rumi Foundation has been designed and directed by filmaker and artist Muzaffar Ali and would be held at the Arab ki Sarai monuments at the Humayun`s Tomb.

This is the 10th year of the event that not only hosts singers, dancers and musicians of the Sufi traditions from all over the world but also serves as a platform for emerging singers and practitioners of classical and modern dance form with Sufiana music.

"Divinity is not dependant on any boundary, religion or language. It transcends from soul to soul," says Pakistani sufi singer Abida Parveen, a member of the Rumi Foundation.

Andrea Griminelli, actress Sharmila Tagore, Dilshaad Sheikh and Syeda Hameed are other members of the foundation.

Parveen points out that since Delhi was where many great Sufi saints and poets resided they felt that there could be no better place to perform to feel one with divinity. "Since Nizamuddin dargah is close-by, performing here, the ambiance is similar to performing at the shrine. There is no disparity between the singer and the audience, they are all the same," says Parveen who has been performing at the festival since its inception.

According to Muzaffar Ali, celebrating Sufism is "not a confrontation to fundamentalism," rather it is "a tribute to humanism and universalism. It is a spaceless, timeless space which has the power to unite voices from across the world. It is becoming essential to further the message of humanism and brotherhood in all parts of the world," says Ali.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore says, "Every year this festival transcends us audiences to a different level. The essence of spiritualism is witnessed during the performances, up close with the artistes."

Italian classical flautist Andrea Griminelli who will also be performing with other Indian artistes this year says, "The festival has a great energy to it. I am performing here for the first time, and I am extremely thrilled about it."

The festival has previously had international artistes from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey.

It has presented doyens in Sufiaana singing such as Lotfi Bouchnak, Omar Faruk, Azam Ali, Masood Habibi, Shubha Mudgal, Shafqat Ali Khan, Ila Arun, Sukhwinder Singh, Daler Mehndi, Astad Deboo, Malavika Sarrukai, Shubjaat Hussain Khan and Abida Parveen as well as introduced fresh talent such as Malini Awasthi, Manjari, Navtej Johar, Zila Khan, Archana Shah, Indira Naik and Rajesh Pandey amongst others.

The event is supported by Delhi Government, Department of Art, Culture and Language, Sahitya Kala Parishad and ICCR among others.