Episode 20: The Mindful Mystic: Shabnam Virmani

The Mindful Initiative

Shabnam Virmani

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Shabnam Virmani is a National Award winning documentary filmmaker, a soulful singer, an enigmatic storyteller and an inspirational writer. Shabnam has been exploring the myriad possibilities and power of mystic poetry and its oral traditions. It was during the Gujarat riots of 2002 that she started to explore deeper questions of life in the words of the 15th century mystic poet Kabir. The same year, Shabnam was invited to be artist-in-residence at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. She founded the Kabir Project which brings together experiences to understand Kabir and other mystics. You can find more information about the Kabir project that Shabnam on her website. Visit her YouTube channel to listen to her soulful renditions of Kabir bhajans and other works.

In 1990, Shabnam co-founded the ‘Drishti Media, Arts and Human Rights collective‘ in Ahmedabad. As the co-founder of the Drishti Media Arts and Human Rights collective, she has directed several documentaries, including the national award winning, Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein (In the Market Stands Kabir).

Prior to founding Drishti Media, as a young reporter, Shabnam broke the story of Roop Kanwar’s sati in Rajasthan which became a landmark report, and the issue was later taken up by a powerful women’s movement. Shabnam has studied journalism at Times Research Foundation in Delhi and communication at Cornell University.

You can see the transcription of this podcast by clicking the Transcription tab below.

Editing: Juan Pablo Velasquez Luna

Transcription: Gita Venkat and Madhusmita Misra

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