‘Living Traditions’ Ballads, Stories, Songs From Rajasthan

Living Traditions

Report by Afzal Ali, Mumbai: India is one of the most musical and musically diverse countries in the world. Each region has its own distinctly rich legacy of artistic and cultural traditions. The regional folk melodies and rhythms, which are vibrant and living among the rural masses of India, have had an influence on the evolution of Indian art (classical) music.

‘Living Traditions’ is an ongoing series showcasing the folk traditions of different regions of India. This year the focus is on Rajasthan. The Manganiars and Langas of Western Rajasthan have long been known for their rich vocal repertoire, highly accessible music and stage presence. These have made them very popular on the urban stage in the past decade. However, it is only part of the repertoire that has developed for stage, and thus little of the repertoire gets heard by urban audiences. Not all Manganiars and Langas are globe trotters and fusion artistes. This tradition is alive in the villages, and is part of the jajmani system, where musicians are attached to their jajmans or patrons and perform musical duties for them in exchange for support in cash and kind. There are songs for all life cycle events, of which the halariyas for birth and the vast repertoire of wedding songs have largely contributed to the stage music. They also sing devotional songs, panegyric ballads to the Rajput patrons, and a host of other genres.

An area that is less known and explored is the ballads, the vartas and kathas which are the basis of many songs. Among the Manganiars as well as the Langas there is the rich storytelling tradition of what they call vartas and kathas, which is a blend of narration and song. These, in many cases, have yielded compositions which are now performed as songs. Western Rajasthan also shares with Sindh oral epics such as Sassi Punnu and Umar Marvi. Besides it has its own similar oral epics or ballads such as the Dhola Maru, Rupande ri Bel, and so on. The singing is accompanied by instruments, like the sindhi sarangi, kamaicha, and murli.

This two-day festival will attempt to provide a glimpse into the myriad forms which have not been performed on the stage until now, and will be designed and curated specially for this event. In order to source talented musicians from the communities of the Langa and Manganiar, who inhabit remote corners of the desert of Rajasthan, we are conducting auditions in Jodhpur and only 10 selected musicians will be showcased, who will present the selected repertoire.

Program:

Day 1 will feature the Manganiars with the kathas and ballads such as Dhola Maru.

Day 2 will feature the Sarangiya Langas with the varta storytelling form which intersperses narration and song. This day will also feature an unusual performance of the Surnaiya Langas who play only wind instruments. This is a ballad form which is sung and played on the murli

Date & Time:

March 1–2, 2013; 7 pm onwards

Venue:

Experimental Theatre: NCPA, Nariman Point, NCPA Marg, Mumbai

Tickets:

Rs 200–300