#29 — Safar-e-Nafs (Journey of Self)
COMPOSED & PREMIERED BY TABLA MAESTRO SANDEEP DAS, INSPIRED BY MILAD YOUSUFI’S PAINTING “WHIRLING DERVISH”
“Whirling Dervish was inspired by a poem by Rumi.
‘I searched for God among the Christians and on the Cross and therein I found Him not.
I went into the ancient temples of idolatry; no trace of Him was there.
I entered the mountain cave of Hira and then went as far as Qandhar but God I found not.
With set purpose I fared to the summit of Mount Caucasus and found there only 'anqa's habitation.
Then I directed my search to the Kaaba, the resort of old and young; God was not there even.
Turning to philosophy I inquired about him from ibn Sina but found Him not within his range.
I fared then to the scene of the Prophet's experience of a great divine manifestation only a "two bow-lengths' distance from him" but God was not there even in that exalted court.
Finally, I looked into my own heart and there I saw Him; He was nowhere else.’”
EXTENDED CONVERSATION
Join us for an extended conversation with Sandeep Das and Milad Yousufi regarding their virtual collaboration for the "Stay-at-Home Symposium." Moderated by Musaics of the Bay Artistic Director Audrey Vardanega, Sandeep and Milad discuss their artistic backgrounds and their collaborative process.
