Sufi music for the Soul

An Overview of Jamil Khan’s performance at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication
-Devang Bhandari
Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication

“The moon was shining bright; the candles lit the way, and there was a feeling of warmth for everyone!”
The 7th floor of the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication never looked as beautiful, as it did on the night of the 27th of January 2010. Thanks to Spic Macay, ICCR and Jamil Khan!Well, the 1st year and 2nd year undergraduate batches from Symbiosis, got a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch renowned Sufi musician Jamil Khan and his troupe perform heartwarming songs in a two hour extravaganza.They say music knows no boundaries. And only when the cadences of tunes fill the air and when the wind carries the vocalist’s voice to your ears, does the essence of the music sink in! And this is exactly what happened!The terrace of the SIMC building had been decked up like a bride - making it THE place to be in. Symbiosis, in association with Spic Macay, had two days prior to this event, organized an Odissi dance performance for its students which had left them spell bound and amazed. But this, our Head of Department Prof. Anupam Siddhartha, had promised would be a totally different experience!And wasn’t he right!In the entire show which lasted a good two hours, the SIMC undergraduates never felt like leaving their places- so enthralled were they by the music. Another reason, apart from the music, was the setting. The moon was shining bright, small diyas lit every step you took and the night was perfect to sit with your batch mates and relax- and just enjoy the music! The finesse and sync with which the musicians were performing, it was impossible to even think that they had received no formal training and just picked up music as they went along!

If “Kesaria Baalam” set things off in a touching fashion, Jamil Khan did not disappoint till the very end with foot tapping songs like “Hibadha” and “Mast Kalandar”!

The amount of cheering, “woo-hoos” and “encore’s” that Jamil Khan received, especially after “Mast Kalandar” in itself told a third person viewing the show how successful it had been.
The night truly was an unforgettable one!

For some this show had been their first brush with Sufi music and it was one which they won’t forget in a long while to come!

A member of the audience came up with a few lines to sum up the whole performance, with which I would love to end:

“Music filled the air,
The setting was perfect as diya’s lit the way
Time came to a standstill
The day’s rigors lay forgotten as happiness spread everywhere!”