Morari Bapu to deliver talk at Wajid Ali Shah fest

Lucknow Religious preacher Morari Bapu will deliver a talk on the composite culture of Lucknow in the seventh annual Wajid Ali Shah Festival ‘Gomti’ at Dilkusha

Lucknow Religious preacher Morari Bapu will deliver a talk on the composite culture of Lucknow in the seventh annual Wajid Ali Shah Festival ‘Gomti’ at Dilkusha Palace on February 23 .

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Morari Bapu is a prominent proponent of the Ram Charit Manas and has been reciting Ram Kathas throughout the world for over 50 years.

Secretary, Roomi Foundation and noted film director Muzaffar Ali said, “ The aim of the event is universal peace and spreading the message of love and compassion. The presence of Morari Bapu will add grace to the event. He will give a talk on the composite culture of Lucknow.”

Another attraction would be a dance drama ‘Kranti Ka Pahla Sawan’ based on a poem by Rahi Masoom Raza. Directed by Muzaffar Ali, it would be based on the aftermath of 1857 when Lucknow fought a fierce battle with the British. It would portray what the British thought about Lucknow and river Gomti during that period.

This would be followed by Anjuman-E-Dil, a Jugalbandi by Roohani sisters.

Jagriti Luthra Prasanna and Neeta Pandey Negi are popularly known as Roohani sisters for their soulful presentation of Sufi music. The Roohani sisters have performed Sufi songs, qawwali and ghazals throughout the country. They are also known for experimenting with different genres of Indian classical music.

Muzaffar Ali said, “Wajid Ali Shah Festival was introduced in 2013 by the Lucknow Chapter of Rumi Foundation as a tourism event supported by UP Tourism. Since then it has been packaged and creatively presented to support travel trade.”

“Five editions have been dedicated to different subjects reflecting our culture. In 2013 the subject was Gomti and the event was held at Chhatar Manzil. 2015, it was Indrasabha at the Residency and in 2016 it was Radha Kanhaiyya Ka Kissa again at Chhatar Manzil. In 2017, it was Rang at Dilkusha Palace and Yamuna Darya Prem Ka at Dilkusha Palace and Ganganama in 2018 at Dilkusha Palace. All these festivals celebrated the beauty of the composite culture of Lucknow,” said Muzaffar Ali.

He added,“Wajid Ali Shah supported this composite culture to the extent that in his court Lord Krishna’s acts were celebrated through poetry, thumri and Kathak. The present state government under the enlightened vision of chief minister Yogi Adityanath continues to promote Brand UP’s wealth of composite culture, giving a positive message to promote tourism in the state, particularly Lucknow and also Varanasi because of its tradition of thumri.”