Kabir Festival 2023

पोथी पढ़ पढ़ जग मुआ, पंडित भया न कोय ।

ढाई आखर प्रेम का, पढ़े सो पंडित होय ।।

In Mumbai, on one hand, we witness a pace of development and modernization which is at its highest in human history, on the other hand, the city like many of its counterparts is also facing an acute crisis of disconnection and separation. Disconnection with ourselves, with each other and with nature. India for centuries has been a land of great mystics, sufi and bhakti poets whose poetry has been pivotal in liberating our society from the shackles of discrimination, injustice and inequality. We realise that with time, these voices of mystics which are an important aspect of our syncretic culture are forgotten and there is a need to keep them alive. For centuries humankind has turned to these voices for collective healing and well-being and in today's stressed and polarized times, we believe the poems, songs and stories of the mystics are a significant reminder, calling us out towards our collective humanity and guiding us on the path of love, oneness and harmony.

Sahej Foundation has been organising The Kabir Festival Mumbai and other events for the past 11 years with the belief that keeping the messages of the mystics alive through music, poetry, and storytelling is a key to creating a culture of love, oneness and self-transformation. 

The mystic poets remind us to dissolve boundaries, shatter our egos, nurture fearlessness, reflect within and most importantly, love all. These messages are woven into the spirit of the festival by keeping it accessible for all, community-funded and all-volunteer run.

The Kabir Festival in Mumbai will be held from 10th Feb to 12th Feb 2023. Through 15+ events, over 25 artists from the length and breadth of India will come together to share the message of Kabir, Meera, Guru Nanak, Baba Bulleh Shah, and Lalon Fakir with the citizens of Mumbai. This will be an opportunity for all present to contemplate on the insightful words and life lessons from the mystic greats and imbibe them in our lives.  

The festival will be woven by legendary artists such as Prahlad Singh Tipanya, Mooralala Marwada, Lakshman Das Baul, Netai Chandra Das, Radhika Sood Nayak, Shruthi Vishwanath, Bindhumalini and Vedanth Bharadwaj. 

Now in its eleventh year, the Festival has been a significant vehicle for sharing the eternal message of the mystic poets of the sub-continent in mohallas, colleges, communities, parks, cafés, institutions and NGOs across Mumbai through music, films, dance, discussion & dialogues. We have grown into a family of 5000+ community members (and many, many more not on our mailing list) who come together each year to soak in the blissful music and dive deeper within.

This year the festival has been curated with the intention to expand its reach and create an awareness of our country’s syncretic history and culture. The immersive nature of the festival hopes to deepen our understanding of mystic poetry, encourage a community spirit and harmony and also inspire sincere self-examination amongst everyone who becomes a part of it. 

The Festival comes about through the endless generosity of the city of Mumbai, be it volunteering their time and expertise or making their facilities and spaces available via collaborations. The minuscule budget of the Festival is funded by the largesse of the Kabir Community of Mumbai consisting of ordinary Mumbaikars and rasikas from across the country who join us during the Festival.