(From left) Tourism minister Sunil Kumar ‘Pintu’, chief minister Nitish Kumar and water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary enjoy singer Kavita Seth’s (inset) performance at Kako village in Jehanabad district on Thursday. Pictures by Deepak Kumar

Jehanabad, Sept. 22: Kako village, about 10km from Jehanabad district headquarters, was notorious for sound of guns and explosives. Today, the strains of divine Sufi music filled the air in this Maoist hinterland.

The occasion was Sufi Mahotsav, 2011, organised by the state tourism department at which chief minister Nitish Kumar, along with many of his cabinet colleagues and a large entourage of bureaucrats, was present.

A huge crowd from the village and many other nearby hamlets, braving incessant rain and mud-filled streets, leading to Sufi saint Bibi Kamal’s shrine at the government middle school playground, descended on the venue to listen to the powerful rendition of renowned singer Kavita Seth, known for her songs Iktara in Wake up Sid and Mora piya in Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti.

Nitish, who also offered chaddar at the shrine of the 13th century Sufi saint, enjoyed the musical evening to the hilt. The singer took the opportunity to dedicate a song Ye raat chandni hai to the chief minister, who appreciated the number with applause.

The others present cheered to the fullest too.

Many saw the chief minister’s visit at the event as a message of peace and harmony to the Naxalites in the region, which has a long and dark history of bloodshed and violence.

Thousands of people, who had gathered at the huge venue in Kako village, were amazed at the musical extravaganza and demanded that such programmes be organised at the shrine more frequently.

“The shrine is very famous among devout Muslims and others since ages and thousands of visitors come here every month despite its reputation of being one of the worst Maoist-hit areas. The shrine, however, has remained largely neglected by the government so far. It is completely unbelievable that something like this is happening here,” said a visibly elated Babita Quadri, a villager.

Muhammad Iqbaal of a neighbouring village echoed similar sentiments.

“We are feeling very proud today that such a renowned artiste and also the chief minister came down to the shrine and accorded such respect to our saint, who has been worshipped by our forefathers for ages,” Iqbaal.

The singer, who had started her career with a performance at a dargah in Punjab, also appreciated the development that the state has achieved under the regime of Nitish during the course of her power-packed performance.

Many in the crowd hoped that the event would usher in a new era of harmony and peace in the region.

“For the past several years, people have dreaded coming here because of its reputation of being a rebel-hit area,” said Bilal Ahmad, who had come down from the state capital to take part in the programme.

He added: “Sufism, on the other hand, stresses on peace, harmony and brotherhood among people. We hope those holding guns and moving on the path of mindless violence get the universal message of love and humanity that Sufism spreads.”