Legend has it that the royal family of Mewar has always appreciated and patronized classical music. Amongst several names are Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga, Rana Raimal, Meera Bai, Rana Amar Singh I and Rana Raj Singh I of the yester years. It was in Mewar that a new genre of temple music known as ‘haveli sangeet’ found its way into the court of Mewar and set foundations for Dhrupad and Dhamaar Gayaki.
The legacy of classical music and Dhrupad per say has come a long way, witnessing new developments and picking up more and more connoisseurs enroute. Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur, the 76th Custodian of the House of Mewar prides himself in keeping the kindle alive. He is the Chairman and Managing Trustee of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation and has been making innumerable successful efforts to keep the art, craft and music of Mewar alive on a global platform.
Symphony of Mewar, a royal collection of musical instruments is a tribute by Shriji to the Living Heritage of Mewar. The gallery stands amidst The Zenana Mahal, The City Palace, Udaipur. It will be an exclusive preview of the musical instruments that once belonged to the Maharanas of Mewar and created magical notes for the renowned music artists. An opportunity of a life-time and a beautiful example of passion, Symphony of Mewar shall raise its curtains on 20thMay 2013 for viewing.
We look forward to hearing from you if you have any relevant information to add to this post or would like to visit ‘Symphony of Mewar’.
Feel free to leave us a comment here or write to us at mmcf@eternalmewar.in
Kartik Poornima Ceremony 2012 [Passes Available*]
at Jagmandir Island Palace, a palace on an island in Lake Pichola, The City Palace Complex, Udaipur
As an initiative to promote the culture and heritage of Mewar and India, Maharana of Mewar Charitable
Foundation, Udaipur organizes the festival of Kartik Poornima each year at The City Palace Complex, Udaipur, under the umbrella of Eternal Mewar Festivals. The festival vehicles the values and history attached to Mewar and is a proof of the commitment towards preserving the heritage of the region by the House of Mewar.
Each year famous musicians are invited to perform at this festival in order to promote culture through music and also as an offering to Lord Brahma to whom the festival is dedicated. This year Eternal Mewar festival Kartik Poornima 2012 Experience the mystique of life! is proud to present 'Radha Raas' – sufi kathak and qawwali conceptulised, directed and performed by Sufi Kathak Danseuse Ms. Manjari Chaturvedi along with Qawwals from Awadh and classical musicians from Delhi. An initiative of the Sufi Kathak Foundation, the concept of 'Radha Raas' defines how a secular cultural spirit emerges when Hindu and Muslim identities merge into one another and transcend into love beyond the confines of religion, which is very relevant in today's time and is an idea that we think would find resonance with the vision and belief.
Manjari Chaturvedi is a leading exponent of the Indian classical dance form of Kathak and is acclaimed for being the creator and only performing artist of Sufi Kathak. She has combined the mysticism of Sufi traditions with classical Indian dance to create a stunning new art form called Sufi Kathak, thus setting a historical step in the field of performing arts through the creation of a completely new art form which remains original and yet follows the precedents of mystical traditions that are nearly 700 years old. In the last decade, Manjari has performed in more than 200 concerts all over the world including Europe (France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, U.K. & Ireland), the Middle East (Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait), South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka) and Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) along with Australia and America.
“Manjari dances in surrender to Him, to His Glory, to His Love and to His world there is an underlying lilting melody and strong rhythm in her dance, which depicts separation and union, the fire of the eternal dance of moth...”
Introducing the mystique of Sufism in dance, she traveled to countries like Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan and worked with artists from Iran, Turkey and Morocco to study the music and dance forms related with Sufi thought. Bred of Manjari’s knowledge and experience, Sufi Kathak melds the philosophical depth of Sufi poetry with the narrative beauty and grace of classical Indian dance forms to evolve a new school of performance that uses classical dance to narrate and interpret Sufi poetry.
Sufi Kathak is a dance form that spans from earthly romance of Hindi folk to the evolved Sufi imagery of love in Persian poetry, from a beloved in flesh and blood to the abstract presence of the Almighty, from a form to formlessness making Sufi Kathak, the Dance of the Soul. With her own efforts, Manjari has made the dance form richer by adding new dimensions to the dance form with varying music creating a wide repertoire, which was earlier never a part of any classical dance traditions by aligning Sufi Kathak with the Sufi music of Rajasthan, Kashmir, Qawwalli of Awadh, poetry of Bulleh Shah of Punjab and spiritual music of Iran. Through more than a decade of Manjari’s dedicated endeavours, Sufi Kathak, now, has its own visual entity separate from other Indian classical dance forms. Sufi Kathak by Manjari transcends all religions to become a link bridging God and the devotees; taking one far away from materialism. It is synonymous with serenity, piety, mental peace and divine power, which is a symbol of truth. It is attracting the new generation at the international level, breaking barriers as an example of unity in diversity.
The Sufi Kathak Foundation is a non-profit registered society founded by Manjari Chaturvedi to create awareness for Sufi Kathak and other related ancient performing art traditions. The Foundation works towards providing scholarships to students pursuing classical music and dance, and also pension and medical insurance to needy artists.
