A short film about a community of Pakistani Muslim musicians with deep-rooted ties to the Sikhs by way of a centuries-old music tradition that originated with Guru Nanak and his disciple Bhai Mardana.
The Mardana Project celebrates the musical legacy of Guru Nanak and his companion, Bhai Mardana, highlighting the rababi tradition – an essential but often overlooked part of Sikh and Indian classical music history. Despite the divisive legacy of colonialism, the 1947 partition and enduring tensions between India and Pakistan, the music of the rababis continues to unite communities across borders.
Rababis were the original custodians of Sikhism's kirtan tradition, which began with Bhai Mardana, a Muslim musician and Guru Nanak’s closest companion. Mardana, a skilled rabab player, travelled with Guru Nanak, using music to spread his messages of peace, unity, and oneness. Though this tradition declined after partition, the Mardana Project, led by Kirit and Jasdeep Singh, aims to revive it through research and performance.
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