[Reader-list] Sufi Music Festival

[yasir ~يا سر]

... come for the chai and samosas ...
*
'Traversing the Divide'*
Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
In collaboration with Pakistan Petroleum Limited
Presents

Award Winning Films from India on Partition and the Sui Poet Kabir
with
an evening of Sui Music
November 14, 15 & 16, 2008.

*The Sky Below by Sarah Singh (2007, 75 mins):*

Sarah Singh's film, "The Sky Below", beautifully filmed with the sensitivity
of an artist, fosters an understanding of the most
poignant event in the sub-continent, Partition. On  one hand, there was the
euphoria of Independence, on the other, a
tragedy unfolded. Hundreds of thousands perished and millions were
permanently uprooted by communal discord. This
tragedy still lives in the memories of elders in both countries and has
influenced the second and third generations. The
film shares unbiased viewpoints through interviews. It illustrates a shared
cultural heritage that has survived the artificially
drawn boundary line.  The documentary traverses landscape, history, and
politics from Kutch to Kashmir in India, and
from Karachi to the Khyber Pass in Pakistan.

A legacy of suspicion and a profound inability to reconcile the political
divide has overshadowed the shared Indus Valley
Civilization. In this feature documentary, a contemporary portrait of this
region emerges, exploring some of the ground
realities of the lingering fallout; is reconciliation possible between the
two countries with interwoven histories, cultures,
and faiths, after 60 years of strained relations and the ever-present,
unresolved crisis in Kashmir?
Featuring (from both Pakistan and India) first-person stories from the time
of Partition, as well as politicians, royalty,
ordinary citizens, historians, and many others who share their insights into
the past, present, and future of this volatile,
yet fast emerging, South Asian economic bloc. The film emphasizes contrasted
realities in this culturally connected, yet
politically disconnected region.  The film also features a particular focus
on some lesser known aspects of Partition. *


Journeys with Kabir*

*Three films by Shabnam Virmani*
Shabnam Virmani's films emphasize the Sufi message of brotherhood, a message
that transcends the boundaries of race
and religion. Tracing the Sufi path, they evoke our sense of shared cultural
binds through the rich legacy of music and
poetry.

These documentary films travel through contemporary spaces touched by the
music and poetry of the 15th century mystic
weaver-poet of north India, Kabir. We meet a diverse array of people – an
urban folklorist, a street fruit seller, a social
activist, a Dalit folk singer, a Zen Buddhist scholar, a neo-fascist mahant,
a Muslim qawwal – each encounter offering
a moment of insight into the verse and its contemporary context. We glimpse
not one, but many Kabirs. Sometimes he
beckons, sometimes he baffles, but always he pushes you to self-interrogate,
to question the boundaries of your identity,
nation, ideology, caste and religion… making these journeys unrelentingly
inward even as they venture outward.

*Had-Unhad: Journeys with Kabir and Ram (2008, 102 mins)*
This ilm is an attempt to understand Kabir's Ram, through encounters in
India and Pakistan. It delves into the divisive
politics of religion and nationalism, probing the forces of history that
have created diverse Rams, while also spawning
many Kabirs.

*Chalo Hamara Des: Journeys with Kabir and Friends (2008, 98 mins)*
A journey in search of Kabir's "des" (country), this ilm unfolds through the
interwoven narratives of two people from two
very different countries – Dalit Indian folk singer Prahlad Tipanya and
North American scholar Linda Hess. We enter the
world of Kabir, through the personal and public lives of these two
individuals, brought together in an unlikely friendship
by the amazing universality and cross-cultural resonance of Kabir.

*Koi Sunta Hai: Journeys with Kabir and Kumar (2008, 94 mins)*
This film interweaves the oral folk traditions of Kabir in central India
with the intensely personal narrative of the late
classical singer Pt. Kumar Gandharva. Journeying between folk and classical,
between rural and urban expressions of Kabir,
the film finds moments of both continuity and rupture between these
disparate worlds.
An evening of Sufi Music

One evening features a performance by the internationally acclaimed Qawwals,
Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammed who will
recite Kabir's immortal verses and those of other sufi masters. Fareed Ayaz
and Abu Mohammed also feature prominently
in the film Had Unhad by Shabnam Virmani. *


The Events *

*Friday, November 14: (by invitation)*

6:30 pm
Screening of Shabnam Virmani's award winning ilm, Had Unhad (120 minutes)
followed by a panel discussion with the Director and invited panelists.

10:00 pm onwards
Sui Music with Qawwals Fareed Ayaz & Abu Mohammed
Venue
Auditorium, Rangoonwala Community Centre.

*Saturday, November 15: (by invitation) *

6:30 pm
Screening of Sarah Singh's award winning Film, The Sky Below (75 mins)
followed by a panel discussion with the Director and invited panelists.
Venue
Auditorium, Rangoonwala Community Centre.

*Sunday, November 16: for students, faculty and film makers. *

11:00 am
Screening of Shabnam Virmani's Chalo Hamara Des (98 mins)
              Panel discussion

1:30 pm
Lunch Break

2:15 pm
Screening of Shabnam Virmani's Koi Sunta Hai (94 mins)
              Panel discussion

5:30 pm
Tea

 6:00 pm
 Musadiq Sanwal sings Kabir
 Venue
 Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture

*Acknowledgement*
  We thank VASL and T2F for their support of these events
Invitation cards are available irst-come-irst from November 10 at:
  Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture (Contact Diana 021-5861039)
  The Second Floor (Contact Reception 0300-8230276)
  Rangoonwala Community Centre: (Contact Reception 021-4935168)