[Reader-list] fwd: workshop on "Sufi Literature and Social Resposibility"

[Iram Ghufran]

Subject:
workshop on "Sufi Literature and Social Resposibility"
From:
ektara <ektaraindia at email.com>


Ektara India cordially invites you to a 2-days Workshop on

Sufi Literature and Social Resposibility

at New Delhi, on November 13-14, 2010 (Sat/Sunday)
and additionally on Nov. 20-21, 2010
With a heritage walk on 25th Nov.
The seats are limited and the registration is open.

As listening to Sufi music and qawwali becomes more and more trendy,
there are debates about what the true Sufi music is. Is it some
meditative chanting that provides peace and tranquillity to an
individual in today’s stressful urban life? Is it supposed to involve a
lot of rhythm and high octave vocals using the names of god or Ali, as
often exhibited by contemporary Indian cinema or pop music groups? Or
is there something more...  to Sufi music and literature than mere
self-indulgence? Does it have a social relevance in today’s life? Could
it help us connect to our pluralistic past? Could it help us learn ways
to coexist in today’s multicultural society?

These are some of the questions that we hope to address in a two-day
intensive workshop involving several scholars, music practitioners and
media professionals who have been working on these themes. Some of
these include Madan Gopal Singh, Atmaram, Dhruv Sangari
and others. Ektara India has been successfully conducting such
workshops for last couple of years, the details of which can be seen on
our website (www.ektara.org). The workshops are open for all who have
an interest in Sufi poetry, music and Qawwali. The participants do not
have to have a prior knowledge or training of music, nor is there an
age-bar. Kindly note that this is not a course for learning music, but
for appreciating music, poetry and their social contexts. The two day
workshop will be repeated on 20th and 21st November as well. Thus you
can select the dates that suit you best.

Most presentations will be given in English with some Urdu/Hindi
content. Although two days are insufficient for a comprehensive
understanding of such a subject, it is hoped that by the end of the
workshop, the participants would be able to better appreciate the
nuances of Sufi music, poetry, and Qawwali and its historical context.
The two days will comprise of full day sessions (10 am to 6 pm) of
lectures, discussions, some singing and recitation of poetry, screening
of documentary films and archival sound recordings. Detailed schedule
of the 2-days will be available in early-October 2010. An additional
heritage walk to a Sufi shrine with live traditional music will take
place on the 25th November 2010 in the evening.
Lunches, tea/coffee and refreshments will be provided. Hand-outs
including reading material and audio/video clips (on a CD) will also be
provided. Ektara India would also present a certificate of
participation to each participant.

Registration: The seats are limited and a prior registration is
required. Registration fee (inclusive of lunch/tea/handouts etc.):
Rs.2500/- per participant (Indian Rupees two thousand five hundred
only), with a 20% discount for early bird applicants, students and
couples/groups. Deadline for receiving the application for early bird
and student discount is 10th October 2010. Couples or groups can avail
the discount until the start of the workshop (subject to the
availability of seats). The students seeking a discount should not be
working as professionals.

To register, kindly download the application form (link below), print,
fill and send it to us with the registration fee. You can either send
the full amount or at least Rs.1000 in advance to ensure registration
(the remainder can be paid by cash or cheque at the venue of the
workshop).

http://ektaramusic.com/smw-appform-nov10.doc
http://ektaramusic.com/smw-appform-nov10.pdf

Ektara team
www.ektara.org
We are also on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114779248580249

(Kindly forward this message to others who might be interested)