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THE sprawling Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur will come alive with the sounds of the traditional music of Rajasthan sung by the minstrels of Langa and Mangania communities as well as European gypsy music, flamenco, urban folk music at the five-day Rajasthan International Music Festival (RIFF), which begins on October 1.
The festival this year is trying to revive dying folk musical genres of the state and will promote the traditional music of the European gypsies, who are said to have migrated from Rajasthan at least 1,000 years ago, say organisers of the festival. A delegation of musicians from Spain’s biggest institute of gypsy music Instituto Gitane will take part in the festival. Maharaja Gaj Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur-Marwar, who is the patron of the festival, says: "Having achieved international stature within a short span of time (five years), the festival will live up to its reputation as a high quality, exclusive platform for our Rajasthani artistes where they share their astounding legacy with the world." The five-day festival will open with a city concert that will showcase the musical traditions of Rajasthan with a bit of contemporary music thrown in for a fusion feel, adds Divya Bhatia, director of the RIFF. The five-day festival will feature performances by more than 100 traditional artistes. "We will be bringing back the dying musical instruments of the state like the sarangi and the surmaiya with performances by a handful of Langa musicians, who still play them. The Langa musicians play music that has been handed down the generations and they eulogise their ancestors through their songs. They have their clan genealogy on their fingertips," claims Bhatia. For the first time, four generations of Langa musicians from Barmer will share the stage. Another highlight of the festival will be collaborative concerts by vocalist Rekha Bharadwaj, wife of Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj and the traditional Maand musicians of Rajasthan. Rekha is known for her numbers like "Namak Ishq Ka" from Omkara and "Genda Phool" from Dilli 6, informs Bhatia. Ace drummer Sivamani will explore fusions sounds in percussion instruments with the nagada, khartal and morchang (traditional Rajasthani percussion instruments) players in joint concerts. Beat Boxer (beat rhythm musician) Jason Singh and his crossover band Dharohar will perform at a special club night at the fort, according to Bhatia. "The festival will also see the launch of the country’s first online data base of Rajasthani folk musicians to help promote them and save the dying musical forms of the state," he further says. The western section will feature a dance performance by Denise Belfon from Trinidad titled "Chutney Soca" — a fusion of Calypso, Soca (traditional island dance and music), Bhojpuri folk and percussion beats from Rajasthan. "Moreover, we are bringing one of the top flamenco guitarists from Spain, Antonio Ray and a male flamenco dancer. Next year, the theme of the festival will be the homecoming of the gypsies — with more gypsy music. We are also collaborating with the largest institute of gypsy music in Barcelona in Spain, Instituto (institute) Gitane," Bhatia adds. The festival is a
partnership between two of India’s heritage trusts, the Mehrangarh
Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation. — IANS
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