Roaring start to SaMaPa Aalap 2013 with Ragini Rainu’s Sufi recital

GNS JAMMU FEB. 1 2013 :The 8^th Annual ‘SaMaPa Aalap Festival' presented by the SaMaPa(Sopori Academy

of MusicAnd Performing Arts) commenced with a roaring Sufi recital by the young Sufi Songstress of India Ragini Rainu.

The first session of the fortnight long festival was inaugurated by Ms. Rajni Sehgal (SP Prisons Department), Sh. Sohail Kazmi (Secretary General, Jammu Press Club), Pt. Ravindra Misra (Eminent Music Critic & Musicologist) and Abhay Rustum Sopori (Santoor Maestro & Music Composer, & Secretary SaMaPa). The concert was specially organized for the Journalists and Media personalities of the State of Jammu & Kashmir and was equally well attended by a number of music connoisseurs and lovers. Sh. Sohail Kazmi presided over the function. He appreciated SaMaPa’s work in the State and congratulated Abhay Sopori for the path breaking work. He said that media plays a major role and this concert is in honour of the media personalities who work tirelessly throughout the year.

Ragini presented various Qualams composed by the Great Music Legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori commencing with Peer Mehar Ali’s “Kithe Mehar Ali, Kithe Tere Sana…”, followed by Baba Bulle Shah’s “Zaro Zaree…” and Kafi “Ranjha Jogadiya”. Singing raw and robust, her exuberance and inimitable voice brought to life the ecstatic expression of Sufism, each rendition drowning the audience in the richness of this tradition and sending it into raptures. With a strong base of classical gayaki (vocal system), her style is embedded with tayari (fluency) and bhava (aesthetics and expressions). Disciple of Pandit Bhajan Sopori, Ragini hails from Jammu. Representing the Sufiana Gharana of Kashmir, she sings primarily the structured Sufi Ang and also the Ghazal & poetic Kafi genres. Unquestionably brilliant, she is equally at ease with the traditional genres as with the modern nuances. With her individualistic style, she is the rightful heir to the legacy of Sufi music and is India's young Sufi Diva. Having had performed all over the world, she has the honour being the first ever Sufi musician to perform in the prestigious ‘Sankat Mochan Festival of Banaras’, the top most music festival of India. She was brilliantly accompanied by Sachin Sharma on Tabla, Abid Hussain on Sarangi, Ravi Sharma on Harmonium, Vijay Anand on Dholak and Jagmeet Singh on Guitar.

Ms. Rajni Sehgal lauded the efforts of SaMaPa and Sopori family for its intense role in keeping the J&K culture alive. She said that SaMaPa has done tremendous work to revive the cultural scenario and reaching out to deep corners of the State taking culture and music to new scale. The concerts at Jails and other venues which SaMaPa conducts as part of its Social Cultural Responsibility Initiative will go a long way towards creating a cultural revolution in the State. On the occasion Abhay Sopori & Sh. Sohail Kazmi felicitated the guests with Memento & bouquets. Abhay Sopori highlighted SaMaPa’s initiatives and activities in the State. He thanked the J&K Media for its support and cooperation to him for last eight years and the people of J&K for the over welcoming response that the festival has received over the years. He said his aim has been to keep J&K a culturally vibrant State. He thanked the guests, media and music connoisseurs for being part of the SaMaPa movement. He also thanked Sh. Sohail Kazmi for hosting the inaugural concert of the 8^h SaMaPa Aalap. He said, “SaMaPa is a cultural movement translating from the deep rooted vision of the Chairman, the Great Music Legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori ji, and the tireless efforts of the members of Board in creating a unique, unbiased and empowering national level platform for presentation, propagation, and teaching of traditional music and performing arts for the artists and the young talents. SaMaPa widens its horizon into the general masses by creating the right platform for better appreciation and understanding of the traditional music and its technicalities, and enabling them to utilize the power of music in leading a more balanced life, as well as exploring opportunities with music as means to their employment. SaMaPa recognizes the contribution of several artists, leaders, government officials and individual personalities for their tireless efforts in propagating and keeping the traditional system of music alive.”

This year onwards SaMaPa will carry a social cause along with the festival focusing on one social issue every year creating general social awareness at grass root level. SaMaPa Aalap Festival 2013 will focus on the awareness of Child Labour problem in J&K. Abhay Sopori said that SaMaPa is acclaimed as the ‘Cultural Bridge’ of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country representing the heartbeat of J&K people & its culture. As such the SaMaPa Board headed by its Chairman, the Great Music Legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori, felt that the SaMaPa Aalap Festival could come out as a great medium to spread awareness for building a stronger society. Abhay said that various social activists have been invited to speak to the children and masses during the concerts briefly enlightening them about the Child Labour issue. Sopori said that this will further help in creating a harmonious society.  The SaMaPa Aalap Festival 2013 is being presented by SaMaPa in collaboration with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Department of Tourism, Jammu. Abhay also thanked them for the support. The programme was beautifully compered and conducted by the renowned media personality Sh. Ravinder Kaul.

The festival will now feature around 35 presentations till 15^th February at more than 25 different venues across the region, border areas, etc. by a number of upcoming & eminent musicians of the State & the country.