Entranced by the mystical

CHENNAI:  The name Vedanth Bharadwaj might ring a bell with some moviegoers. Back in 2017, he, along with Bindumalini, composed music for the highly-acclaimed Tamil film Aruvi. With Margazhi now in full swing, he is back on a tour of Chennai, performing works of his favourite mystic poet, Sant Kabir, in ‘Fearlessness and Surrender’.

Love for the mystic

Kabir, it turns out, has been a long-time obsession for the Mumbai-based Vedanth, who trained classically in Hindustani and Carnatic music. “The songs written by these mystic poets hundreds of years ago are still relevant because they deal with topics like love, surrender and fearlessness. Surrender and fearlessness might seem like two mutually incompatible words, but when you think of it, true surrender happens in a space where there is no fear,” he said.

Vedanth was first introduced to Kabir as a student at Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh, where these songs would be recited during the morning assembly. 

He also learnt to play the guitar here. Though he never quite got the meaning, he was intrigued by the sound of the words. He recalled, “I would always wonder how Kabir’s poetry would sound when played with a guitar. Eventually, when I took to music as a career, I got to do that too.”

From novice to pro

Through people like the folk singer Prahlad Singh Tipanya of Madhya Pradesh, Vedanth learnt how to approach the devotional fervour of Kabir poetry. “I got to know their meaning. Now I perform Kabir songs knowing each word and the deeper nuances of the poetry,” he adds. Vedanth is a regular at Kabir festivals the Delhi Kabir festival, Malwa Kabir Yatra, Mumbai Kabir festival and so on, where he performs each year.

The last time Vedanth performed in Chennai was just before the pandemic. In a post-pandemic scenario, Vedanth senses a change in Chennai’s cultural scene. Where earlier, it was mostly Carnatic and film music, he feels the audience is now more open to other forms. “There are also newer spaces coming up that cater to indie musicians. That is a nice thing. Such spaces are essential for people to connect after being distant for so long,” Vedanth added.

‘Fearlessness and Surrender’ will be performed at Krea University as part of ‘Krea Kutcheris’ on December 16, 6.30 pm. RSVP: akhila.krishnamurthy@krea.edu.in