Sufi music has always been esoteric: Rahman
You trust none other than music maestro AR Rahman when it comes to sufi music. And a concert, which includes the genre, at Ekam Satt — Unity Concert: The 50th Symphony will see Rahman, along with singermusician Ameya Dabli perform live. Speaking about the concert, Ameya says, “It is a journey that a team of musicians and I embarked on three years ago. Today, you see people tensed and stressed due to various reasons. We are all extremely insecure about ‘what is next’. All the enlightened souls who have walked on this planet, have said that the true sense of happiness is not outward but inward. Ekam Satt is that genre of music that helps people connect with their core.”
The concert will see Ameya performing on his set, which is exclusively arranged with Ranjit Barot and Rahman will be seen performing his sufi ensembles. So, what convinced Rahman to be a part of this? He adds, “We’ve been trying to do Sufi concerts. The main intention was to use this concert to help charity and spread positive messages and do good work for humanity. When I was approached for Ekam Satt, they had the same philosophy and I felt it was the right thing to do.”
Ask Rahman what he thinks about the current state of sufi music, and he says, “Sufi music has always been esoteric. It has always been there, and those who want to listen to it can listen to it. In the last 10 years, everywhere I go — India or abroad — songs such as Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Jodha Akbar; 2008) and Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar; 2011) have become favourites, even among the western audience. They don’t even know the meaning of it, and that is when I understood that beyond what we sing, there’s something that is touching their souls. Music takes you to a dimension, which is beyond the limit of words.”