Sixth edition of Mahindra Kabira Festival set to run from 18-20th November

By Neha Kirpal

The sixth edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival is set to run from 18th to 20th November, 2022, on the historic ghats of Varanasi. Presenting a rich two-day programme and an array of local cuisine, the Festival will feature a unique mix of artists and performers.
The festival offers an immersive experience inspired by Kabir’s teachings including evocative music performances, curated talks, guided walks, boat rides and more.

The festival celebrates Kabir’s philosophy and brings to music lovers an unforgettable experience of listening to leading exponents of the Banaras gharana, folk traditions, Sufi, and the maestros of the Dhrupad, Sarod, Sitar and Dastango – in a programme that captures India’s cultural matrix.

In this exclusive interview, Jay Shah, Vice President, Head – Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, talks to us among other things about what to look forward to at the festival this year, the various experiences it offers as well as its sustainability aspects and green practices.

What are the highlights of the 2022 edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival, artists participating and other things to look forward to?

The 2022 edition of Mahindra Kabira Festival will feature a unique mix of artists and performers, like The Raghu Dixit Project, Jasleen Aulakh, Pandit Vikash Maharaj Trio, Fouzia Dastango and many more. Just like every year, the festival is all set to celebrate the inclusive philosophy of 15^th Century mystic Kabir with music, history and tranquility in the fascinating city of Varanasi. The most enticing feature of this year is that Dadi D. Pudumjee will conduct an exclusive masterclass on the art of puppetry at the festival, and Padma Shri awardee Aruna Sairam will beautify the festival with her gratifying Carnatic musical during the evening programme.

Tell our readers more about the festival’s various experiences, including Kabir’s teachings, evocative music performances, curated talks, literature sessions, guided walks, boat rides and local cuisine?

At every season of the festival, we showcase an exciting element of the Mahindra Kabira experience for all the Kabir stalwarts. This year too, the festival will begin with its Morning Music and Afternoon Literature Sessions at Guleria Ghat, and Evening Music at the Shivala Ghat. The offerings also include a specially curated heritage walk through the winding alleys of the timeless city exploring Kabir’s life; an exclusively curated menu to relish traditional Banarasi cuisine; boat rides between festival venues and many more. The most divine aspect of the festival is the inclusive nature which enables the audience to connect with a like minded group of people.

The festival has been taking a number of measures on different aspects of sustainability and green practices have been ingrained within it right from curation to execution. Tell us more about this?

Mahindra Kabira Festival cares for the environment and has been taking initiatives to protect and preserve for the future generations. This year, the green quotient of the festival will see a rise for its sixth edition. The Mahindra Group, with its credo ‘Rise’ ensures that we promote sustainability every step of the way. Through Mahindra Kabira, we intend to increase awareness about the environment, climate change and the vitality of a greener tomorrow. Notably, the Festival has received the Yale certificate of being a Green Festival in 2018, and is also currently listed as part of the top 5 green festivals in the country!

What are the festival’s plans for the future?

Taking off from the memorable past five years, the Festival has come across a long way celebrating the glorious simplicity of Kabir’s philosophy. We are happy to share that Mahindra Kabira has become a destination for all the Kabir devotees over these years. As we host the sixth edition of the festival, we aim to make the festival a unique and an annual international destination for people who want to experience good music through the poetry of the mystic and saint Kabir and experience the holy city, and rich culture of Varanasi.