SOULFUL REVERIE

Though on the outset the Mahindra Kabira festival sounded much like a music fest with luminaries of Indian Classical music such as Prahlad Tipanya, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Mir Mukhtiyar Ali and others taking the stage to honour the 15th-century philosopher, but what it brought to our plate was a unique soul curry—literature sessions, heritage walks and early morning meditation sessions, perhaps to awaken an inner consciousness. Seven years ago, corporate giant Mahindra had sponsored an event hosted by the Kabir Project and fell in love with the idea of Kabir. “Kabir’s ideology of being agnostic to any religion is at the core of the company’s philosophy,” says Jay Shah, head, Cultural Outreach, Mahindra & Mahindra, revealing “not many know that the company used to be Mahindra & Mohammed before partition. Ghulam Mohammed shifted to Pakistan and went on to become the country’s Finance Minister, but remained a close friend of the Mahindras until the end.”