In 1999, when Banyan Tree Events wanted to start the Ruhaniyat Sufi and Mystic music festival, there were few takers. Says Mahesh Babu, founder and organiser of the event, “People did not understand what we meant by this genre of music that brings alive the works of immortal saints, mystics of a bygone era. Today, anything with the word Sufi is attractive; back then, it wasn’t so. Probably, we were ahead of our times. Each time we heard the news of terror and hatred, we felt the need for such a festival very strongly.”

Baul performer Parvathy Baul. Pic/AFP