AR Rahman reaches Nagore Dargah in auto-rickshaw to attend Kanduri festival

Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu) [India]: Music maestro AR Rahman visited the Nagore Dargah in Nagapattinam to attend the Kanduri festival.

The ace musician arrived in an auto-rickshaw to participate in the festival yesterday. In the visuals, the Oscar award winner was seen wearing a maroon kurta.

The 14-day Kandhuri Festival, also known as the Nagore Dargah Festival, is celebrated from the first to the fourteenth day of saint Shahul Hamid’s death anniversary during the Islamic month of Jamathul Aagir.

Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul Hamid was the revered 13th-generation descendent of Saint Sufi. He achieved wider recognition for treating the physical illness of Thanjavur’s 16th-century Hindu king Achuthappa Nayak. This historic significance allures the peculiar participation of Hindu devotees during the Kandhuri Festival.

The festival’s opening day is commemorated by the hoisting of a sacred flag, which is then carried by chariots to the Nagore Dargah. From the second to the seventh day, holy saints read the Quran along with various prayers. The devotees flock to the Dargah to witness the Light of Allah which is displayed in the Dargah.

On the eighth day, the Kandhuri Festival’s fireworks display is one of its many attractions. The fireworks have two purposes- first, to enhance the festive atmosphere, and second, to represent how truth drives away falsehood.

On the ninth day of Jamaidul Akhir, the Fakirs visit the site of Hazarath Mohsin meditation site called the “Peer Mandapam”. On this occasion, the devotees start a holy fast for the next three days.

On the tenth day, a parade-like chariot ride carrying sandalwood paste is organised. The Rawla Shariff and the Great Saint’s tomb will then be anointed with the auspicious paste as it is brought inside the premises.

The fast that was initiated on the ninth day of the festival is ended by the devotees on the eleventh day. The Al Quran’s message is recited throughout the 14 days, and its blessings are given to the Great Soul.
The flags and lights are taken down after the conclusion of the Kandhuri Festival, leaving only the spiritual light of the Nagore Dargah.

Talking about music legend AR Rahman, he attended the UAE’s 52nd National Day celebrations in Abu Dhabi and unveiled a ‘song of hope’.

On the special occasion, AR Rahman and a 52-member all-female Firdaus Orchestra paid a special tribute to UAE’s founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, at a hospital in Abu Dhabi.At the event, which brought together patients, healthcare professionals, and esteemed dignitaries, Rahman announced his forthcoming song born from a collaborative effort with Indian entrepreneur Dr Shamsheer Vayalil and Abu Dhabi-based Burjeel Holdings.

Speaking at the event, Rahman said, “The idea is to create a song of hope. This is a song to honor everyone who is selflessly working. The world needs hope today. I hope the song brings peace, understanding, and joy. My prayers to all the people who need to get healed in this hospital.”

A groundbreaking ensemble comprising the Firdaus Orchestra and 50 others echoed through the corridors of the hospital during an event titled ‘Singing for the Children of Zayed’.