G20: Fusion of Sufi and Shaivism leaves delegates spellbound

SRINAGAR: A fusion of Sufi and Shaivism recital left the G20 delegates spellbound on Tuesday evening.

Noted Kashmiri Santoor maestro Abhay Rustom Sopori flew from New Delhi to present the fusion at Taj Vivanta on Tuesday evening.

“I presented a fusion that had traits of both Shavic and Sufi Music. I presented Mahmood Gami’s Kara Sa Maun Naie Ande… It was composed by my father. They needed a fusion so we used Tabla, Pakhawaj, Guitar, etc. I first used the Shavi tradition. It was followed by Sufi music. I also presented Lal Wakh…Shiv Chue Thali Thali Rozan.  I explained the meaning so they could understand the broader contours,” Abhay told The Kashmir Monitor.

The third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting kicked off at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Center (SKICC) on May 22. The first Working Group meeting was held in February at Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The second meeting was held from April 1 to 3 in Siliguri, West Bengal.

G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. It represents 85% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

“Later I presented a classical Raga which was also liked by the audience. It was typical Sopori baaj. There are different rhythmic variations associated with it. We sued Tabla and Pakhwaj. I also used a little fusion. I played with rhythms. The program went very well,” he said.

On Monday, a Kashmiri musical symphony was presented before G20 delegates at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Center (SKICC) on Monday. It was a unique symphony wherein only Kashmiri traditional instruments including Santoor, Rabaab, Naut, Tumbakh Nari, and others were used.  It was for the first time such a symphony was created and presented.

On the concluding day, the organizers will be presenting a J&K symphony which will be a mélange of artists from Kashmir and Jammu.