Ektara's 3rd workshop on Sufi music: Focus on Bulleh Shah and Amir Khusrau

For those of you in Delhi, here is yet another edition of workshop on appreciating Sufi music and Qawwali. After two successful workshops in 2009 on the appreciation of Sufi music and Qawwali, Ektara India (a collective of art and media professionals) announces an advanced workshop on understanding the poetry and music of medieval poet-composers Amir Khusrau Dehlavi (1253-1325) and Bulleh Shah (1680-1757), to be held in New Delhi from 6th to 14th February 2010.

This workshop hopes to take the participants to an advanced level of understanding the poetry, music and historical context of legends like Amir Khusrau and Bulleh Shah. The verse of these two poets is probably the most performed Sufi poetry in north India and Pakistan. Although there is gap of almost 4 centuries between the lives of two poet-composers, these 400 years were also probably the most productive in the cultural history of south Asia. This workshop hopes to explore the development of Sufi poetry and music over these 4 centuries and beyond and what relevance they hold for us today.

The workshop will take place for 4 full-day sessions on weekends in south Delhi. It will include illustrated lectures by eminent scholars of history, literature and music, besides many sessions of audio and video screenings. There would also be a heritage walk and on-location performances of music. Lunch, tea and snacks will be served during the workshop. Handouts including reading material as well as multimedia on CDs would also be provided during the workshop.

The registration for the workshop is open for anyone with an interest in Sufi literature, music and cultural history. The registration fee is Rs.4000 (inclusive of lunch, tea and handouts). There is an early bird discount of 25% if you register before 15th January, 2010. Couples or two or more friends together can still get this discount after the deadline. Students (who are not working as professionals) get a 50% discount if they register before 15th Jan. Those who have attended our previous 2 workshops (Oct./Dec.'09) also get a 50% discount if they register before 15th Jan.

More details at www.ektara.org