Folk, sufi and devotional bhajans at upcoming music fest

Promoting music as a tool to encourage peace , tolerance and empathy, a new classical music festival is being organised here.

Sahitya Kala Parishad, the Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Delhi Government in association with NDMC, will host the three-day festival "Bhakti Sangeet" at the Nehru Park here.

The festival, featuring folk music, sufi music, jugalbandi and devotional bhajans across genres, will be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia.

"Our country has a rich legacy of celebrating the idea of 'bhakti' in its diverse forms. Various faiths have stressed on the importance of music in reaching the divine the paths are different, but the destination is one.

"In these difficult times, when hatred and violence have enveloped our society, it is important for us to reclaim our religious traditions and celebrate the pluralism in our devotional music," Sisodia said.

The festival will showcase the plurality of faith and expression in devotional music, as it packs in a comprehensive itinerary, featuring renowned artists from across the country like Pooja Gaiton, Zikir Wazidur Rehan, Ajoy Chakraborty, Hari Haran, Prahlad Singh Tipanya, Sudha Raghuraman Sarita Pathak and the Nooran Sisters among others.

The festival will come to a close on April 22.