When Mona and Arif invited Shahid and I to attend the Maganiyar Seduction, a musical performance at Lincoln Center as part of its White Light Festival, we had no idea what a treat we were in for. We were both entranced by yet another beautiful gem in the glorious mosaic of world music. And I was so proud and moved by the role music played in harmonizing and spreading unity amongst the different tribes, faiths and traditions in India for hundreds of years until the British messed it all up, as they did all around the world unfortunately.
To my delight, the Maganiyars are a Muslim tribe of Rajasthan, India, who are professional musicians and nomads. They blended ragas, Sindhi surs and folk music to create the most mesmerizing Sufi music. They performed for patrons and families were tied to specific patrons, often merchants as Jaisalmer was a thriving trading post. They sing music of Bule Shah, a famous Sufi poet of 17th century India, and blend in Hindu traditions and deities. For me, as I listened to them, they represented what could have been the future of India and Pakistan- a blending of beautiful cultures, music, traditions and values full of awe and respect of each tradition’s beauty. Differences become points of creativity rather than points of conflict- how beautiful that was and could be again in the future as soon as we hand over the world to our wiser millennial children, Inshallah.
The creator of this performance- Royston Abel- called it “Seduction” because he himself was seduced by Maganiyar music while on an earlier tour with two of them only. While traveling with them their music became a soothing wake-up and good night lullaby for him, and he could not stop thinking of the beautiful music- he was seduced. He sought them out and found out that there is a whole tribe, and they all have the last name “Khan”! He selected 40 or so singers and musicians for this show (which was the third time they performed at Lincoln Center) and featured each musician in a window, in a four by 10 storied stage construct. As each singer or musician sings the window lights up, reminding us again of the theme of seduction as the windows of the red light district in Amsterdam. As more and more windows light up and more instruments are added, one is transported into the beautiful transcendent state of ecstasy that only music can create. The conductor, Deu Khan, is in front of the stage with his back to the audience and conducts them while playing the wooden castanet like instruments, which are an integral part of Maganiyar music. I began to wonder if the castanets of gypsies- who came from India to Spain and other parts of Europe in ancient times- originated in these simple wooden slats that are played so dexterily?
Much credit goes to Jane Moss, and the other sponsors at Lincoln Center for creating this wonderful White Light Festival which features transcendent music and performances from all around the globe. As Jane says: “Art allows us to feel, apprehend, and expand our own inner reality in a uniquely illuminated fashion, and the performance experience is far more about the audience member’s inner life than the express content of the performance itself….Art offers expanded self-awareness, transcendence, and connection of our common humanity.” And that is exactly how I left this concert – transformed by its beauty and its possibility for future generations to live in harmony; grateful to have the opportunity to experience this beauty in the larger atmosphere of our amazing New York City. As we left to go to our car and drive home, I noticed how many people were walking on the streets, and dining at restaurants at that late hour, which creates an amazing energy. And as we are learning more and more from the quantum sciences, aren’t we all in the end just fields of energy, and how wonderful that we can tap into that universal force! May the light of this collective connected energy dissipate the darkness of our times- here and everywhere – and lead to an Enlightened Era. May Kashmiri and Palestinian boys be free, may all the countries- especially targeted Muslim countries these days- be safe from war, conflict and starvation, and may we all do our part to save Planet Earth for future generations Inshallah.
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