Wearing a dress that looked startlingly like a saree drape (it even had a saree border) and black leather boots with the laces casually left open, singer Sona Mohapatra brought the house down at the Bandra Fort in Mumbai where she performed for the ongoing Celebrate Bandra Festival.
The vivacious singer performed Sufi-rock songs in an concert that was dedicated to Songs For The Beloved (God). The venue was open to the public and one didn’t have to pay for their entry.
Sona: “India has a rich tradition of songs that address the Divine as the Beloved. These fearless, personal, intimate songs circumvented dogma and spread the message of peace, love and tolerance in a country where religious tensions constantly threaten to rip society apart. I have re-interpreted these lyrics with new melodies and a new desi sound which bridges our ancient music with our contemporary aesthetics.”
Some of the Sufi songs she performed were Bulleh Shah’s Tere Ishq Nachaya, Ameer Khusrou’s Tori Surat Ke Balihari, Meera’s Shyam Piya and her own numbers Dum Dum Andar and Abhi Nahin Ana.