Event

Soordas by Shekhar Sen

"Soordas" is the moving tale of a priceless poet, whose physical blindness was totally overshadowed by the beauty, clarity, and power of his inner vision. His total devotion to Lord Krishna and the play of his divine imagination created over 10,000 immortal bhajans. The enchanting poems recounting the "Bal Leela" - or the playful capers of child Krishna are an invaluable testimony of the timelessness and unlimited reach of the mind and heart of a true devotee.

Six hundred years ago, the melodious and heart-felt bhajans of Soordas spread the sunshine of love and faith in a world darkened by the rage and violence stemming from religious fanaticism.

Spanning the 105 years of this simple and yet -so- profound person, the play touches upon many of the memorable milestones of his long life like the influence of Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya, the honor of becoming the lead-poet of the "Ashta-Chaap" group which sang the glories of Lord Krishna and his momentous encounters with Swami Haridas, Tulsidas, Meerabai, Akbar and Tansen.

Spread over two memorable hours the play is enhanced by 34 song-sequences, in which Shekhar has incorporated both popular and rare ragas.

Born to musicologist parents, Mr. Shekhar Sen established himself as a singer with a different style by singing creations of medieval poets such as Rakshan, Raheem, Lalitkishori, Bhooshan, Bihari and many others. The government of India bestowed one of the highest civilian honors of Padamshri to Shekhar Sen in 2015 to recognize his contributions to music and culture. He has performed more than 1,000 live performances all over the world and released more than 188 cassettes and CDs. Mr. Shekhar Sen is also the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi.