'Maharaaj Gajaanand Aavo Ri' sings Mahesha Ram

In the oral traditions of Kabir and other 'nirgun' mystic poets who evoke the divine as formless, it is not uncommon to have the gathering begin with a 'sagun' bhajan dedicated to Lord Ganesh, believed to be an auspicious deity to invoke at the start of any event. In the spirit of a true satsang, all dualistic impulses to divide or categorise are challenged. This beautiful bhajan prays to Ganesh to leave his high palace, come to this humble gathering and bless it with a sprinkling of colour!

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Meditative and mesmeric – these are the qualities of Mahesha Ramji’s music. Unhurried and not in an eager rush to please the public, Mahesha Ramji slows you down, and compels you to step into his rhythm. He belongs to Chhatangadh village near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and represents the folk style of the Meghval community, who are the traditional carriers of the poetry of many bhakti poets including Kabir, keeping it alive through a powerful oral tradition.

(Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Hindi)

Mahesha Ramji sang this song along with Bhage Khan and the rest of his troupe, at the Festival of Kabir in Bangalore, 2009. This gathering was organized by the Kabir Project, Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology along with several other partner organizations in Bangalore. It brought together singers from India and Pakistan in an immersive week-long event that included film screenings, live music concerts and talks. Contact Mahesha Ram at +91 99298-76095

This is one of a series of uploads for Ajab Shahar, a webspace dedicated to mystic poem and song, created by the Kabir Project team (http://www.ajabshahar.org ; http://www.kabirproject.org).

Song Credits:
Vocals & Tambura: Mahesha Ram
Second Vocals & Tambura: Bhage Khan
Dholak: Anwar Khan
Manjiras: Rewanta Ram
Kamaicha: Hakam Khan

Translation: Vipul Rikhi

Video Credits:
Cameras: Tahireh Lal & Vinay Ghodgeri
Sound: Dipanshu Mitra
Editing: Piyush Kashyap
Sub-Titling: Neha Rajan
Collection: The Kabir Project

Date of Recording:
28 February, 2009