Space for the Soul :
Music of the Mystics
The common trope of a foreigner from a distant land coming to India in search of enlightenment might be annoying, but
this country’s depth of spiritual experimentation is possibly second to no other in the world. While the words ‘Advaita
Vendanta’, ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’ and ‘Nirvana’ might be fairly well-known in common parlance (thanks to their mostly
superficial inclusion into pop culture), these ideas emerge from ideological and emotional doctrines that have been
instrumental in giving India its reputation for philosophical profundity. While it is tempting to praise India’s heritage of
holiness because it drew top itself icons like The Beatles and Alice Coltrane, the music crafted by India’s myriad mystical
traditions offer an understanding of divinity beyond the human simplicities of discrimination.
It would be great folly to not delve into the treasures offered by those who make music in their search for Bliss – the kind
that, once experienced, cannot be touched by the goings-on of material existence. If you haven’t sampled this world of
unconditional love and endless liberation, view the following as a slight gesture of guidance towards it.
Parvathy Baul : One of those
minstrels that you will see
in the villages of Bengal who
sings about letting go of the
delusions of a world loaded
with pointless definitions,
Parvathy Baul’s voice snares
your heart like a master
hunter snares the restless
doe. Hers is one of the few
prominent presences in
among the Bauls in which
women are more frequency
companions to the male singer rather than the practitioner
herself). Lock yourself in a room, dim the light and find
her on Youtube imploring “Paare loye jao” (Take me to the
shore).
Meerabai : Instead of a
performing musician,
Meerabai composed songs in
her solitude for the purpose of
unifying with the lord of her
heart, Manmohana himself.
Her hymns to Lord Krishna
convert the devotee-lord
relationship into something
akin to that of the yearning
lover and cruel beloved. She
composed bhajans and kirtans
that, sung to this day, have
become anthems for those that wish to escape the illusions
of everyday conflict and find an everlasting resolution in
surrendering to all that is truly Holy.
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Score Magazine
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Wadali Brothers : Two men
who carry the passion and
talent of four generations of
Sufi musicians, Puranchand
Wadali and Pyarelal Wadali
possess voices that would
convince you that God does
speak through human devices.
Just hear them intone the
following words :
Tu mane ya na mane dildara
asan te tenu rab maniya
tu mane ya na mane dildara
asan te tenu rab maniya
{{das hor kera rab da dwara
das hor kera rab da dwara
asan te tenu rab maniya
tu mane ya na mane dildara
asan te tenu rab maniya
-Tu Maane Ya Na Maane
The Wadali Brothers draw their art out of a tradition that
spans centuries, treating their music as an homage to all
that is sacred in the world. They sing the words of various
preachers, unconcerned by divisive categories such as
religion. Striking in their abstinence from commercial
ventures and elaborate performative setups, their presence is
a reminder of the fact that despite what the charts might say,
the sounds of the soil are still to be held to the heart.