After a lazy Saturday afternoon spent reading a travel magazine with a cup of coffee, it was time for some indulgence. The calendar on my phone flashed the ‘Sufi evening’ I had registered for in Atta Galatta, a bookstore with a unique concept. It hosts number of art and culture events catering to all age groups and this was a treat for the music lovers. When I reached, the store was packed with people seated on the chairs arranged in rows, anticipating an evening that would bring them closer to God.
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| Smita Bellur during her soulful performance at Atta Galatta |
With the first aalap, Smita Bellur, the Hindustani Classical vocalist and the Sufi singer, enthralled the audience. The room reverberated with the music that knows no language and surpasses all the boundaries. Her voice, as beautiful as she is, carried the audience on the spiritual journey with the pure and soulful melodies.
With several compositions including Man Kunto Maula by Amir Khusrow and the popular Chhap Tilak Sab and Dama Dam Mast Kalandar on public demand, she left everyone in awe. The audience, spanning all the ages, clapped to the beats and rhythm in unison to acknowledge the sense of the divinity resonating in their soul.
Smita belongs to the Jaipur-Kirana gharana and is trained in Hindustani khayal gayaki. She has travelled extensively for concert tours which are regularly broadcast on TV channels. MS in quality management by qualification, she has joined many causes with her music contribution. Smita, with her team offers programmes like theme based music, shastriya sangeet, sufi tunes, bhaktimala and many more.
The performance concluded with a thunderous and a prolonged applause by the audience still in a state of rapture. Every single person present in the store went up to her in order to congratulate and thank her for the incredible experience she had gifted them with.
My belief that sufi music can be a great healer was reaffirmed that evening. I went with an expectation to make my evening eventful and returned with the heart and the soul filled with love and gratitude.
My belief that sufi music can be a great healer was reaffirmed that evening. I went with an expectation to make my evening eventful and returned with the heart and the soul filled with love and gratitude.
Bangaloreans should make it a point to visit Atta Galatta to gorge on their collection of books, filter coffee and cup cakes and register for various events and workshops organised for all age groups. Follow them at Atta Galatta, Koramangala.