A subtle sound reverberates in the sky, only a wise guru can listen to it. In this enigmatic Kabir song, we are invited to inhabit a place without earth or ground, where there is water but no lake - there is only an anchor-less sound, the sound of origin perhaps.

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Find lyrics/translation of this song at: http://ajabshahar.com/songs/details/1...

Discover a universe of Bhakti, Sufi, Baul poetry and music at http://www.ajabshahar.org.
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The late Pandit Kumar Gandharva (8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992) was a legendary Hindustani classical vocalist. At a time when musicians prided themselves on their conformity to the strict style of their 'gharanas', Kumar Gandharva chose to forge a distinctly individual path. In later years he became widely famous for his powerful compositions and renditions of Bhakti poets, especially Kabir.

Kumar Gandharva was a child prodigy whose rise to fame happened at an exponential pace. At the peak of his career however, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the doctors asked him never to sing again. It was while resting his voice and recuperating in the countryside of Dewas, Madhya Pradesh that Kumarji was struck by the music of itinerant folk singers and songs of Bhakti. In his journey, he collected around 300 folk songs and upon his return to the stage of Hindustani music, he began interpreting these songs in classical notations and ragas. Classical music was never the same after Kumar Gandharva.

(Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Hindi)

This is one of a series of uploads for Ajab Shahar, a webspace dedicated to mystic poem and song, created by the Kabir Project team (http://www.ajabshahar.org ; http://www.kabirproject.org).

Song Credits:
Vocals: Pt. Kumar Gandharva
Tanpura: Vasundhara Komkali, Madhup Mudgal
Tabla: Suresh Achrekar
Harmonium: Govind Rao Patwardhan

Translation: Linda Hess
Collection: Doordarshan Archives