Kabir Cultural Centre
in collaboration with

McGill University

proudly presents a 3-day program about Kabir

 

Kabir Cultural Centre in collaboration with McGill University presented a 3-day program about Kabir, a great mystical poet of fifteenth-century India and his living presence in South Asian music religion and society today.  A provocative and challenging reformer who cannot be pinned down by any religious label, he is admired by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, secularists, and atheists.

Film show:  Had Anhad (Journeys with Ram and Kabir)

The filmmaker, Shabnam Virmani will be available to answer questions from the audience.

About the film: 103 minutes, colour, Hindi, subtitled in English 1st. Prize (shared), One Billion Eye Documentary Film Festival, 2008. Kabir defied boundaries between Hinduism and Islam. He had a Muslim name and upbringing, but his poetry repeatedly invokes the widely revered Hindu name for God - Ram. Who is Kabir's Ram? The film journeys through songs and poems into politics of religion, and finds a myriad answers on both sides of the hostile border between India and Pakistan. Shabnam Virmani is a prominent Indian documentary filmmaker, a co-founder of Drishti Media in Ahmedabad, currently artist in residence at Srishti College of Art and Design in Bangalore. Her previous films include "When Women Unite" and "Tu Zinda Hai".


Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009
Time: 6.00 pm
Location: Birks Heritage Chapel, 3520 University Street Montreal, QC H3A 2A7.
Admission: Free
Information: (514) 695-3264, (514) 931-0942, (514) 586-3148
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Panel Discussion:  Kabir: Word, Sound, and Image
This panel discussion explores the life and poetry of Kabir as it is remembered through a range of sources –
 textual, oral, and performed. Scholars and translators Linda Hess (Stanford University) and Sajida Alvi
(McGill University) come together with film-maker Shabnam Virmani to trace the complex echoes of self,
community and religion that continue to shape representations of this enigmatic figure from South Asia.
Professor Davesh Soneji will moderate the panel.

Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Time: 4.30 - 5.30 pm
Location: Senior Common Room, Birks Building, 3520 University Street, Montreal.
Admission: Free
Information: (514) 695-3264, (514) 931-0942, (514) 586-3148
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Concert: In Quest of Kabir
The musical performance is given by the renowned Kabir folksinger Prahlad Singh Tipanya and his group.  He has been increasingly recognized as a remarkable exponent of Kabir’s music and meanings.  In March 2008, he received India’s prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award.  Prahlad Singh Tipanya, the lead singer, also plays tanpura and kartal. He will be accompanied by Vijay Tipanya, Ambaram Tipanya, Ajay Tipanya, and Devnarayan Sarauliya in singing and on other instruments such as Dholak, violin etc. Professor Linda Hess of Stanford University will introduce the musical pieces.


Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009
Time: 7.30 pm
Location: Ballroom, New Residence Hall, McGill University, 3625, du Parc Avenue, Montreal QC
Admission: $20, $15(students/seniors), Group Discounts available.
Information: (514) 695-3264, (514) 931-0942, (514) 586-3148

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Audience Feedback:

1)

It was a magnificent evening. As such things do not happen often, its beauty has remained on my mind for a long time and I hope to relive such moments more often.

And one must acknowledge....you do know how to welcome! So delighted to share some samosas in your company with delicious chai!!

It was a terrific evening for all my friends and myself (we were six) and we remember it with pleasure.

I request you to keep me informed of all events which you will be organizing.

Esther Hardy

2)


We love the quality and organisation of the programmes. There is variety and standard in the choice of events. So far in my 35 years of stay in Montreal I can rate the Kabir's programs in top 5% for the excellence. I appreciate the international aspect of the music and performances.

In quest of Kabir' was very educational about the music and I do appreciate the simplicity and the philosophy behind the film, music and the musicians. Well organized.

Ranjana Jha

3)
Here are a couple of my comments regarding the "In quest of Kabir" event
that was held recently.

1. Overall, the program was very informative about who Kabir was and what he preached.The film was very good except for its omission in not showing the high status that Kabir enjoys in the Sikh tradition. Kabir enjoys more respect and reverence in Sikhism than in the Hindu and Muslim traditions. This was
a choice of the film maker therefore not much can be done to correct this imbalance. This is a mere comment about the film and nothing related with what the Kabir Cultural Centre needs to take into account for improving future programs.
2. The musical evening was too long. The singing part should have been 60 minutes each half with 30 minutes interval.  3. The songs were well sung but they were all in the same tune which made the evening somewhat monotonous. Perhaps, a printed handout with the poems in English would have helped everyone in the audience to understand the content of the songs. I found the dialect of the the Malwa region completely unfamiliar which added further to the difficulty in fully enjoying the songs.

Hope these remarks are helpful for the future planning.

Manjit Singh

4)

I'm happy to offer my comments, which I must point-out, are based, only on the music evening (Kabir songs) at the McGill Residence.

Needless to say KCC has brought rare and high quality programs. KCC's contribution to Montreal community has been unmatched.
 
"In Quest of Kabir" - is an empowering title as Kabir is the main inspiration for the founding of the KCC.  Dedicating a series of activities to the saint himself was an opportunity to be re-inspired by his poetry so rich in wisdom, humanity and love for human life.

I believe Kabir's quest was a quest for social justice, which he achieved through the prism of poetic beauty. We did hear a glimpse of it that night.

The singers were excellent, their singing was superb, voices powerful and the audiences were captivated. I loved the fact that the singers wore simple costume with a colorful saffa. For once, glittery silk kurtas were shelved.

As much as I was pleased with what I heard, I was also disappointed with what I didn't hear.  Bulk of the songs presented was devotional and spiritual appealing to the inner soul.  The singers eclipsed the social and critical writing that Kabir so profoundly crafted, which deprived the audiences of the diversity and range of Kabir bani. That is a shame because now is the time we need to remember Kabir for what he truly was.

The translation was out of place. They should have summarized the essence of the songs in no more than two lines and let the melody do its job. Better still, they should have narrated historical moments of Kabir's life that prompted him to write what he wrote, which would have allowed the audiences to realize that Kabir in fact was a poetic response to history of his time.

Given the knowledge base of the two translators, I am disappointed that they couldn't be more creative in interpreting kabir.

I came home, put on a Kabir cd that Arvind had given me, heard some of his songs attacking fundamentalism, ridiculing religious backwardness; read parts of Bhishm Sahani's play Kabira Kada Bazzar Main - I felt closer to Kabir's vastness.

That said, I liked the evening despite my some of my critical comments - I look forward to the next event.

BTW - you must check Ville de Montreal website for grants - go to sub-sections cultural diversity, arts, festivals, interculralism etc.

Rahul Varma