Srinagar, Oct 27 (KNS): As part of the ongoing week long Iconic Festival, Department of Tourism, organised a Sufi musical evening here last evening with artists of national and international repute enthralling the audience with sufi music in the lawns of the beautiful Botanical Garden.

The festival has been organised to commemorate the 75th Independence Day year being celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav across the country.

Famous artists of Kashmir like Abdul Rashid Hafiz; Gulzar Ganai and others enthralled the audiences with famous traditional Chakkri songs of sufi poets like Wahab Khaar and others.

The musical evening also brought together some other artists national eminence in the Sufi tradition from across the country like Vidha Lal, a famous Kathak Exponent and Vusat Iqbal Khan, a Dastango from the Delhi Garana, telling the tales of the mystics and literary legends through their mesmerizing performances. Besides, the Nizami brothers kept the audience spellbound with their famous and acclaimed qawwali numbers.

The festival also saw some enthralling performances from local artists of Kashmir who mesmerised the audience with the vaakhs of Lal Ded.

Public representatives, people from all walks of life, Tourists also witnessed the musical extravaganza.

A unique feature of the event was the participation of a large number of tourists, currently in the Valley, who remained glued to the performances despite the autumn cold.

The musical evening was organised with an aim to promote the iconic role of Rishi’s and Sufi saints in disseminating peaceful and syncretic traditions for which Jammu and Kashmir is known across the globe. (KNS)