HAD ANHAD

Had Anhad is a beautiful documentary by Shabnam Virmani under a Kabir Project. Shabnam
Virmani is a filmmaker and artist in residence at the Srishti School of Art, Design and
Technology in Bangalore, India. Many years ago she started travelling with folk singers in
Malwa, Rajasthan and Pakistan in a quest for the spiritual and socio-political resonances of
the 15th century mystic poet Kabir in our contemporary worlds. Among the tangible
outcomes of these journeys were a series of 4 musical documentary films, several music CDs
and books of the poetry in translation.

Kabir was a 15th century mystic poet of north India who defied the boundaries between
Hindu and Muslim. He had a Muslim name and upbringing, but his poetry repeatedly
invokes the widely revered Hindu name for God – Ram. Who is Kabir’s Ram? This film
journeys through song and poem into the politics of religion, and finds myriad answers on
both sides of the hostile border between India and Pakistan.

In this movie the director sets out on a journey to discover Ram. In modern times the name
and use of the Ram has been done in many forms like as a God, a concept, a political tool, a
cultural hero, a religious deity, to name a few. Amidst this entire furore, somewhere the
common man has lost his Ram; that common man whose sufferings, dreams and hopes are
not bounded by any religion. So the director moving through different narratives reaches
Kabir only to find that Ram is Kabir and Kabir is Ram.

Had Anhad begins with a question - "Where I will find Ram?" And the first landscape is that
of Ayodhya - Ram janm bhumi. But does Shabnam Virmani find Ram there? Some
shopkeepers are interviewed by her and it is very realistic to see that what people actually
think about Babri Masjid Case. It is a war between Ego and Belief. A war on God’s name - to
find God or save God- but does God resides in temple or masjid? God would be pleased by
such wars? Such questions take her from Ayodhya to Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan and
finally Pakistan. Through Kabir she tries to find all these answers. She meets different
people in her journey who are either local singers (folk singers) of Kabir or related to Kabir in
one or the other way. Finally she goes to Pakistan where she feels closest to Kabir and his
philosophy.

Who is Kabir by the way? - An incarnation of Vishnu? A fakir or a saint? A poet of Bhakti
movement? A revolutionary man? Why not go back and see him first as a man. But
something definitely makes him different from an ordinary man and that's his knowledge of
self.

Had-Had Karke Sab Gaye,

Per Behad Gayo Na Koi.

Kabir had crossed the limits between Soul and Brahma. There is one fine example in movie
to describe Kabir's position that one who is in ship says- "Shore is coming" , One who is on
the shore says - "Land is coming" but for one who is above both , no one is coming and no
one is going - Kabir was like this.

When one knows himself, his own soul, from this knowledge one can embark on the journey
of "search of God". And why Kabir is relevant today? There are various reasons like his
dohas and songs contain the eternal knowledge about "soul" , "god", "life", "love" but the
most prominent voice of his dohas and songs are - "Humanitarian" which today in the world
threatened by terrorism, existentialism, depression and loss of faith on God, we need to
understand. He teaches us to see everyone as human and worship one God whom he called
"Ram" - his Ram is not Dashrath's son Ram, an incarnation of Vishnu but his Ram lives in
everyone's heart and if we love everyone, we are worshiping God.

Sakal Hans Mein Ram Viraje,

Ram Bina Koi Dham Nahi.

Ram resides in every soul,

There is no abode without Ram.

Through the screening of this movie, Pravah whose motto is - "Me to We" and whose Focus
is on both "self" and "society", tries to help us to see "what we are" , "who we are" , and
"What we can do for our society and humanity?"