Telling their tales to the world

Neha Kirpal

Ghewar Khan is no ordinary musician. He belongs to the Manganiyar tribe of Rajasthani folk musicians. Living predominantly in and around Jaisalmer, these traditional minstrels have traversed the desert for centuries, playing for the rulers and landowners, and at weddings, feasts and funerals.

“Artistes, experts who read footprints and those who diagnose diseases by feeling the pulse — all these people have no guru. They simply listen to their hearts and soul and do their work,” says Ghewar Khan. According to him, only the Manganiyar can play the kamaicha (a bowed musical instrument from Rajasthan) — and that is what gave them recognition from the world.

Ghewar Khan and others like him have a passport full of visas of various countries. Folk fusion maestro Anwar Khan has travelled as a cultural ambassador to countries like Russia, Japan, America, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Iran, Iraq, Australia, China, Pakistan and Spain. He has  given nearly 500 performances in Europe with the Zingaro Theatre Group. “Our music talks about seasons, birds and animals. We are singing in various forms and styles — Sufi, dholak and manch,” says Anwar Khan.

Some folk musicians feel that their music may be getting lost in the cacophony of noise that surrounds them. A lone singer in his village, Babunath Jogi, is a Jogi Fakir by caste. He sings songs in the praise of Shiv and Gorakhnath. “This kind of singing is becoming extinct as people in villages listen to songs on television and the radio,” he says.

Others, however, are more optimistic. Mame Khan — popularly known as the Rockstar of Rajasthan — has devised methods to keep music of his community alive. “My band spends a lot of time recreating old songs, keeping musical roots alive but giving each song a modern twist. Internet and social media are helping us reach a global audience.”

According to young sarangi player Asin Khan Langa, “When we got opportunities to collaborate with international artistes, we realised that our music has audience all over the world,” he says.

“When I first started to work with Jeff Lang and Bobby Singh as part of the Maru Tarang collaboration, I never used to sing. But I was encouraged to sing with them. Now I perform solo as well.”

Others like Swaroop Khan, whose forefathers were Managaniyar musicians, want folk music to reach as many people as possible. He moved to Mumbai early, and participated in Indian Idol. Music composer Salim Merchant even offered to do a studio recording of one of his alaps,   which was subsequently used in a Bollywood remix and also in Lady Gaga’s album Judas.  He has also sung songs for Bollywood films like PK. “I like to present my folk music to people the way they understand it,” he says.

Several efforts are underway to keep folk music alive. Rhythms of Rajasthan collaborates and promotes folk art talent on to international platforms. According to its founder director Nitin Harsh, “More than 65 artistes have debuted with us. We focus on presenting traditional songs rather than the new popular folk songs they write for commercial TV shows.”

The Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) held in Jodhpur every year collaborates with artistes from the state and international musicians. Divya Bhatia, director of the festival, says, “The Jodhpur RIFF has taken Rajasthani artistes to various national and international festivals.” 

Aditya Bhasin has been working with folk musicians and dancers from Rajasthan for the past 15 years. He started small — by going to various village-level festivals, religious ceremonies, jagarans and also organising local talent hunts. “The talent we found was immense, and the possibilities seem even greater,” he says. According to Bhasin, there is so much more to Rajathani folk music than just the Langas, Manganiyars and Kalbeliya dancers. 

“Apart from this, there are many other musical communities spread all over the state, such as the Mewati Bhapang players from Alwar, or the Tejaji ke Bhope from the Kota region, the tribals from Udaipur, the percussion community from Pushkar, e.g. Nathoo Lal Solanki, or the Pabuji ke Bhope,” he says. These communities had their own instruments, traditions, songs and dance, and this was only scratching the surface.

“One way to present their art to the world was to create a platform for not just their livelihood, but also their creativity and expression,” says Bhasin. That was how his band, Rajasthan Roots, a collective fusion band, was formed. 

Similarly, the Kutle Khan Project is a voyage into a world of music beyond boundaries — one in which they delve into their folk roots, drawing from their musical experience and the influence of collaborating with musicians from different cultures. The group has participated in top music festivals across 70 countries. They have also started their own music school-cum-studio for Manganiyar children as well as guests from India and abroad. Here they impart workshops on playing traditional folk instruments like kartal (wooden hand clap), morchang (a jaw harp) and bapang (a string monochord instrument). 

Further, Chugge Khan and Rajasthan Josh is a collective of Manganiyar musicians from Jaisalmer. Their music encompasses Sufi qawwali, bhajans, Sindhi, Punjabi, Rajasthani folk and contemporary fusion. The band has played with a wide range of international artistes at festivals like the World of Music Arts and Dance, Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, Bali Spirit Festival and Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival.