SIKH music traditions and the First World War will feature in this year’s Ilkley Literature Festival.

Presented by Alchemy and SAA-uk in association with The Network of Sikh Organisations UK the Sacred Sounds concert will be at Ilkley Playhouse on October 12 at 7.30pm.

It will tell some of the largely forgotten stories of British India’s role in the First World War.

Inspired by an evocative photograph of Sikh soldiers performing Shabads (Sikh sacred hymns) in a French barn, this live concert showcases the music that Sikh soldiers from over a million Indians who participated in this war, took with them to camp and battlefield.

The concert features the timeless beauty of the Shabads themselves, originally composed by Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith, powerful letters exchanged between Sikh soldiers and their families and vivid individual stories such as a mother’s lament for a departing son alongside the recruitment songs that the British commissioned.

Award-winning writer, artist and film-maker Imtiaz Dharker’s vivid poetry and images, Jack Lockhart’s animation and a cinematic backdrop of images promises to make this a memorable experience.

Also, on October 5 at Ilkley’s Manor House, Dr Nima Poovaya-Smith, curator, writer and director of Alchemy Anew, will reveal the process of turning historical archive material – including hitherto unseen period photographs and Indian soldiers’ letters from the First World War – into a unique performance.

The Making of Sacred Sounds takes place at 7.30pm and people should book by visiting ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/84-the-making-of-sacred-sounds-sikh-music-traditions-and-the-first-world-war

Tickets for the Sacred Sounds concert on October 12 can be booked by visiting ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/166-sacred-sounds