By Saket Suman
Pushkar, Dec 10 (IANS) The first day of 'Shree Cement The Sacred Pushkar - a festival of music, yoga and meditation' concluded with high-voltage musical performances by leading Sufi and classical artistes at the beautifully decorated Jaipur Ghat here on Saturday.
The high point of Saturday's series of events was marked by an enthralling performance by popular singer Daler Mehndi.
The ongoing festival, curated by Teamwork Arts, offers a unique holistic and soulful experience and is hosting visitors from across the country as well as abroad.
After a series of events centred around yoga, meditation and organic cooking sessions, the stage was lit up with splendid musical performances, one after the other, as the huge gathering cheered in their best spirits.
Immediately after the heritage walk earlier this afternoon, the Jaipur Ghat came alive with the evening music which began with the traditional aarti, accompanied by the sounding of a conch and cappella singing by 'Vocal Rasta'.
Taking the stage after the aarti was one of India's leading percussionist and pakhawaj exponents Pt. Bhavani Shankar who performed with his group Sound of Asia.
Next in the line up was Kabir expert Shabnam Virmani who regaled audiences with "mala ro maniyo" from Kabir's poetry as well as songs from Bhakti, Sufi and Baul traditions.
It was followed by a stirring vocal performance by 'The Soil', a four-member cappella singing group from South Africa. Defined as Kasi Soul, the group's music featured an eclectic mix of musical genres such as jazz, hip hop, Afro-pop and Afro-soul.
Ending the night with his unique brand of Sufi and folk infused popular music was the performance by Daler Mehndi, who sang Noor E Illahi, Namoh Namoh, Bismillah, Allah Hu, Rajan Ke Raja and Ram Naam.
The two-day festival concludes on Sunday with another series of events.
(Saket Suman is in Pushkar at the invitation of Teamwork Arts. He can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
