The state, when it draws its cultural influences from history, invariably discerns the glorious galaxy of poet saints who have established a range of practices that find its ascendancy in many things, including the Warkari cult, local customs, spirituality and so on being emulated and carried forward since centuries.

The line of saints from the 13th to the 17th century, along with devotion, directed the culture of the time. Among the many influences that find prominence in recent times, their poetry is an inevitable aspect. And choosing around 15 rare compositions from the treasure trove, composer Chaitanya Kunte sets this rare compositions in tune with a unique experiment of bringing forth artistic distinctions of saints’ poetry and music.

Organised by the Maharashtra Cultural Centre, Sant Swar Wel is a concert of medieval Marathi poetry by Sant Dnyaneshwar, Namdew, Eknath, Tukaram and Ramdas. “I have chosen some rare compositions, mixing them with genres and ragas prevalent during that period such as Prabhand, Dhrupad, Khayal as well as folk music prevalent in that era and have restricted composition to those genres. I have also chosen raagas as suited for the poetry, including shyam kalyan, hamsadhwani, bhairavee and jogiya," adds Kunte.

Singers Mayur Mahajan, Priyal Sathe and Yogada Deshpande will deliver the compositions, accompanied by Swapna Datar on violin, Sanjay Karandikar on tabla and Manoj Bhandwalkar on pakhawaj. “Along with propagating spiritual ideas, they were also sensitive poets. I have worked for a year over the compositions, with the first-ever performance being held today. Some of the compositions are Sant Eknath’s Radhe Mukund Murari in Bhairavee, Sant Namdew’s Ratra Kali Ghagar Kaali and Sant Dyaneshwar’s Bhawarthi Sagari. Usually, the saint’s poetry is presented in a spiritual message. Here, I am exploring the social and musical experience. Also, it is traditionally presented in the Bhajani genre while we have tried to perform in classical and folk music. It will also include a rare composition of Mahanubhaw Saint Mhaimbhat. We plan to repeat it in other cities as well,” says Kunte.

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