Ibrahim Sutar | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sutar in 2018 | |
| Born | (1940-05-10)10 May 1940 |
| Died | 5 February 2022(2022-02-05) (aged 81) Mahalingpur,Karnataka, India |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Occupation | Weaver[1] |
| Website | www |
Ibrahim Sutar (10 May 1940 – 5 February 2022) was an Indian social worker and poet known for folk-music performances acrossKarnataka and neighboring states which spread the message ofHindu–Muslim communal unity.
Sutar received thePadma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor, in 2018 and the Karnataka government'sRajyotsava award in 1995. For his contributions, he was calledKannada Kabir orKarnataka'sKabir (ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಬೀರ or ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಕಬೀರ).[2]
Ibrahim was born inMahalingpur (in the present dayBagalkote district ofKarnataka) on 10 May 1940 to Nabisaheb and Aminabi, in a family with limited financial means. His parents worked as carpenters and as weavers. He dropped out of school at third grade to work as an assistant to a weaver. During this time, he attended sermons at the Basavananda SwamiMutt and also participated in thebhajans at a nearby temple.[1][3][4]
Sutar started his career as aHarikatha singer, going around towns and villages in Karnataka and neighboring states. He would deliver spiritual discourses, perform stage shows, and sing devotional songs. The stories were drawn from bothHindu andMuslim scriptures, carrying themes of communal unity and harmony as well as ethics.[4]
In the year 1970 he set up theBhavaikyate Bhajana Mela (transl. Harmony Folk MusicMelā) team of artists and started performing devotional singing and spiritual discourses acrossKarnataka and neighboring states.[1][3] Along with the artists, he toured the country spreading messages ofHindu Muslim communal unity.[4]
As apolyglotfolk singer, singing in bothKannada andUrdu, Sutar was calledKannada Kabir orKarnataka's Kabir (ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಬೀರ or ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಕಬೀರ), in reference to the 15th century Indian poet and saint,Kabir.[4] He was also a public speaker who visited various schools and colleges in the state as well as variousLingayatMathas speaking onvachana anddasa literature.[4] His performances were usually in question-and-answer format; songs aboutdasa saints andvachana sahitya (transl. Vachana literature) were interspersed throughout. Most of the questions would have spiritual connotations, and his sermons would draw from theRamayana,Mahabharata, and variousIslamic scriptures.[4] He was known to have been well read in both theBhagavad Gita and theQuran.[5] In addition to touring across the breadth of Karnataka, he traveled across other states in the country including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Odisha.[6]
He also made television appearances that included theZee Kannada showDrama Juniors.[7]
Sutar was married to Marembi with whom he had three children – two daughters and a son.[1] He died from a heart attack inMahalingpur, in theBagalkote district of Karnataka, on 5 February 2022, at the age of 81.[9] He had been ailing fromdiabetes andhypertension.[10] TheKarnataka state government announced astate funeral.[5]