A jam session of Jheeni with Shruthi VIshwanath (vocals), Hitesh Dhutia (guitar), Shruteendra Katagde (tabla) and Sanjukta Wagh (Kathak). Pics/Gargi Kowli

From Kabir’s dohas to charismatic verses by Janabai and Chokhamela, juxtaposed with Arundhati Subramanium’s contemporary poetry, words will find new expression in dance and music in a performance titled Jheeni. “The word Jheeni means subtle. The words of Bhakti poets are embedded with silences, non-verbal stories of struggle, doubt, hesitation, revelation and surrender. Shruthi (Vishwanath) and I were involved in Bhakti poetry on our own. Earlier this year, we met at the Kabir Festival in Bhutan; it’s where an exchange of ideas took place,” shares dancer Sanjukta Wagh, who is co-directing the act with Vishwanath. “Kabir’s famous poem, Jheeni Jheeni has been set to music by the Gundecha brothers. We chose to enhance it by weaving in melody of the voice. The sound of ghungroos and guitars will make it come alive,” she adds.