A few weeks ago the community in Pune was blessed with the soulful presence of Prahlad Singh Tipaniya and his family as they offered us the mystic wisdom of Kabir thru folk music. It was a dream come true for us as our online Maitri Tunes are now increasingly manifesting in our homes too.
Prahlad Singh Tipanya is is a name that needs little introduction as one of the most compelling folk voices of Kabir in India today. He sings in the Malwi folk style from Madhya Pradesh and has an incomparable ability to sing and explain the words of Kabir, making them easily accessible to the listener. He has been felicitated with many national awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padmashree.
When Prahladji is'nt travelling to spread the message of peace and oneness through singing the poems of the mystic saints, he can be found in his village, where he has been a teacher in a government school for over 40 years. Every year for the last 20 years, his family hosts the Malwa Kabir Yatra where over 20,000 people gather to listen to wisdom songs by some of the best contemporary musicians. This event is run in the spirit of gift, completely funded by his family's own resources as well voluntary contributions from well wishers.
When asked how the experience has been of running this massive yatra every year, he says "It is a miracle how it happens. When we started the yatra, we bought hundreds of sacks of grain to feed the people. And at the end of the yatra, we had more sacks then we started with. People would contribute grains and money, often anonymously. When we are doing His work, he takes care that there is abundance. Come once for the yatra, and you can see the magic with your own eyes."
Prahladji now dreams of creating and is in the process of designing a world class residential centre in his village, where people from around the world can come and study the wisdom of mystic saints like Kabir, Bulleshah, Mira, et al. The government has already gifted him the land for the same, on which he and his family run a beautiful school for the local children.