Every year in the month of July or Asadh, devotees of Vitthal travel vast distances by foot on a wari or yatra to meet him at his temple in Pandharpur. People celebrate this festival by getting together, singing, dancing, and chanting the name of their god. The pilgrim is called warkari
means the one who undertakes a wari, the pilgrimage. Wakari Panth is a sampradaya within the bhakti tradition and they worship Vitthal who is regarded as “Shiva with Vishnu”.
Devotees use music for their expression of devotion. However, the sounds of the wari are not limited to those produced in the form of music or through musical instruments. A devotee's experience of the music in a wari is while walking together. Numerous other sounds also become part of this auditory experience. These sounds constitute their own peculiar effect on the music being performed. The soundscape is an attempt to approximate this experience of not only the music being performed but also sounds of the road that adds itself to the music.
There were several sound clips which were stitched together to create a 20-minute long unedited file. The goal was to reach a point of coherency so that it could be transformed into an enjoyable experience. To achieve this, it was important to clear the sound so that the listener can identify the details and isolate the sounds from the music, which could later work as themes and motifs. Karatal (hand cymbal), different vocals, percussions, and the crowd as a very active performer were the most prominent throughout the sound text, hence making their way easily into the final soundscape. The primary concern was how the whole piece would unfold temporally. For this, the idea was to oscillate between denser and rarer textures. Listeners are requested to imagine themselves walking through the crowd, and stopping when something sounds interesting. As a result, in the final piece, as the person walks through the crowd, new motifs, thematic elements, and vocals enter and transition into completely different sounds; however, certain sounds are common throughout the experience in varying loudness and density. This is an auditory experience of a sonic construction, which tries to mimic the experience of a wari, from the listeners convenience and urging the listener to experience it in person.
Photos by Suchetana Banerjee