Local group brings culture to Dubai with ‘O Ganga’

After stunning performances that mesmerised audiences in “Rooh-E-Ishq” and “Jashn-E-Awadh”, local choir Malhaar returns with yet another thought provoking musical this weekend with “O Ganga: Echoes From The River Of Life”.

It wouldn’t be amiss to say that anyone who has ever felt humbled by the gifts of Mother Nature, “O Ganga” will certainly transport them into a spate of nostalgia that wouldn’t be limited to India alone.

Playing this weekend at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates, the choir plans to chart the entire course of this holy river, which is held sacred in India, right from its birth at the Himalayan peaks, to its journey along the northern plains till it merges into the Bay of Bengal.

Through artful choreography and soulful melodies, the journey will chart through four Indian states and unravel the very soul of the civilization that has grown and triumphed on the banks of this sacred river.

A timeless character, in the avatar of a boatman, will chart the entire journey along the course of the river and provide the audience a glimpse of the rich musical legacy that has flourished through ages along the banks of the Ganges.

The journey commences at Gaumukh, the birthplace of the river in the heart of the Himalayas mountains, snaking its way down to the holy city of Hardwar where it merges in with the joys and the sorrows of those who come to wash away their sins in its waters.

The narrator will then move on to Allahabad, where Ganga enters the age of adolescence, where she is set to merge with two other holy rivers, the Yamuna and Saraswati at the famous ‘Sangam’.

With each progressive milestone, the musical will weave in tunes of greats such as Kaifi Azmi’s ghazals, Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poems and Ustad Bismillah Khan’s rendition of the Shehnai.

Not a show to be missed by anyone who yearns for a taste of culture in Dubai, the show will run on Friday and Saturday from 7pm. Tickets cost Dh70, Dh100 and Dh150.

Organised by Heart and Soul events.