On the morning of Ashadi Ekadashi, the Ravindra Natya Mandir auditorium was resounding with the chants of Vithoda Mauli. The audience was swaying, singing, and dancing to Tukaram’s abhangas. Many of them were youngsters, parents with toddlers and of course, seniors immersing in bhakti and bhaav. Engaging these hundreds of souls – spiritually and otherwise – was Abhanga Repost, a band of young boys who have re-imagined these age-old verses for the next generation.
I first came to know about Abhanga Repost on a Marathi podcast. Since then, I have been wanting to experience their contemporary take on abhangas. Starting from a small room in Mumbai’s Girgaon, participating in the annual Gudi Padwa Shobha Yatra to performing at locations you would otherwise will not correlate with spiritual performance, these young boys are bringing abhangas closer to the new audience.
As a kid, I was always drawn to the verses ‘Dehachi Tijori’, ‘Dev devharyaat nahi’ or ‘Vithu Mauli Tu Mauli Jagaachi’ – not knowing if they were songs or abhangas. But something I diligently listened to during the Ganapati Utsav. While Ganapti aartis attain a different scale and energy while reciting ‘Yehi ho Vithale’ or ‘Uge Atthavis’ aarti.
I found the lyrics touching and meaningful. A sweet memory of Aai explaining the meaning of these songs as we listened to them on the loudspeaker. Later, I would often see her immersed in these verses by herself, humming while making our school tiffin and preparing chapatis or simply resting with the CD player and earphones. I was too young and spiritually naïve to understand what she yearned to seek through these songs.
In my forties I find myself going back to the spiritual wisdom to connect within. We all are going back in some form or the other. Our daily lives are engulfed with a million distractions. We are seeking space to untangle them through self-care, meditation, sleep vacations, healing sessions or events.
“Isn’t this disruption?” Mahesh Kale asked a question on another podcast. He was sharing the audience’s response and experiences after attending his programme Abhanga Wari. People lack spaces or platforms to express themselves, he says while discussing his musical journey. A prominent, respected voice in classical music, Mahesh Kale performs Abhanga Wari, another coveted landmark on the annual musical calendar.
From two shows in Mumbai, Abhang Wari has performed across Indian states and internationally with audiences transcending nationalities. Be it Abhanga Wari or Abhanga Repost – the success and adulation for both the art forms presents a deep cultural and spiritual significance of us seeking the Wari within.
Have you been on a Wari? Which recent experience stirred you within?
Nurture Winning Thoughts!
