City to host three-day Sacred Amritsar festival from Feb 21

The third edition of The Sacred Amritsar festival is all set to return to the city from February 21 to 23 this year. Like each year, it will celebrate the timeless verse of mystic-poets through performances, discourse, heritage trails, art and more. Produced by Teamwork Arts, the festival will take place across three venues: Sarovar Premiere, Partition Museum and the historic Gobindgarh Fort.

It will open on February 21, with a set of evocative segments. It will feature Ishq Hai, Ishq Hai, Ishq Hai by Priya Malik, acclaimed spoken word poet and storyteller; Rehmat-e-Nusrat, a self-trained qawwali group from the Kumaon hills inspired by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Founded by Sarvjeet Tamta, the group performs qawwalis, Sufiyana kalaams, ghazals and Kabir bhajans.

The mornings of the festival will feature soulful musical performances by Swaransh Mishra, a sixth-generation vocalist of the Banaras Gharana, accompanied by tabla maestro Pandit Abhishek Mishra. On Day 2, A Sacred Conversation between Vocal, Sitar & Tabla will present a unique collaboration between Debapriya Adhikary, Samanwaya Sarkar and Anubrata Chatterjee. The festival afternoons at the Partition Museum will be dedicated to thought-provoking conversations with authors and former ambassadors ho will discuss the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

In the evenings, at the historic setting of Gobindgarh Fort, a series of live concert line-up includes The Hazrat Amir Khusrau Project by Abhijit Pohankar, a fusion of Amir Khusrau’s poetry with contemporary instrumentation; Ishq Sufiyana: The Legend of Laila-Majnu by Laksh Maheshwari, an evocative blend of storytelling, humor and emotion; and Parampara by Padma Shri awardee Anwar Khan Manganiyar, showcasing Rajasthani folk music, Kabir Bhajans and the timeless works of Meera Bai and Amir Khusrau.

The festival’s grand finale on February 23 will be with two spectacular performances. Dastan-e-Akhtari: The Tale of Begum Akhtar will be a heartfelt tribute by Padma Shri awardee Malini Awasthi, accompanied by narration from poet Yatindra Mishra. The night will culminate with Kabir Cafe. Alongside the performances and cultural discourse, the festival’s offerings include specially-curated heritage trails, a guided walk of the Partition Museum, a visit to the Golden Temple, and more.