An Equal Music

It is that time of the year again when the deserts of Rajasthan come alive with strains of sarangi and soulful folk renditions.

It is that time of the year again when the deserts of Rajasthan come alive with strains of sarangi and soulful folk renditions. The fourth edition of the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) is underway in the blue city of Jodhpur,drawing together stalwart performers and music connoisseurs from all over. The sprawling Mehrangarh Fort is alive with the thumping of dholaks,the sound of khartals,guitar riffs and well,murmurs about the presence of Mick Jagger. The legendary grand old man of Rolling Stones is the patron of the festival,along with the Maharaja of Jodhpur,but he is nowhere to be seen.

So far,at least. The first day of the festival,that began on Thursday under a moonlit zenana courtyard,was not as delightful as one has come to expect of the festival. Last year,for instance,folk artiste Bhawari Devis stellar opening concert had set the mood for a spectacular festival. This year though,the Maand performance by Ali Mohammad and Chironji Lal was sedate,but hardly inspired. The only redeeming factor was the beautiful sarangi rendition by Zaffar Khan.

The second performance of the day began with a classical recital by Ashwini Bhide,who sang a couple of bhajans,a maand and a khayal. Her maand could be called the highlight of the day as it drew the maximum applause from a house which was far from being packed. I belong to the Jaipur Atrauli gharana. However,I have no connection with the beautiful desert state. My maand is a tribute to this city and the good old folks of Rajasthan, said Bhide,who performed at the venue for the first time. The final performance of the day had a group of Polish dancers from Warsaw who showcased the Polish country carnival. Not many stayed on to cheer for this one though.

Lacklustre performances aside,the opening day also saw some organisational crises. To add to the woes of the organisers Jaipur Virasat Foundation popular Pakistani rock band Mekal Hasan members have been denied visas. We will have Delhi-based band Advaita play in their place on the second day, assured the festival director,Divya Bhatia. But Advaitas guitarist Abhishek Mathur says the band never confirmed their participation. We wanted to play at a prestigious festival like this,but nobody figured out our travel arrangements. They merely assumed we will be playing there, he says.

Day two however,began on a more promising note,with devotional recitals at dawn by Maali Devi and Jamuna Devi at the Jaswant Thada,the royal burial ground near the Fort. The intimate gathering swayed to the lilting melodies,as the musicians sang tributes to divinity. We are used to doing jagrans all night. Its Gods service, said Jamuna Devi,who belongs to a community where women are not allowed to perform in public.

The first day may not have begun at its best,but over the next few days there are some engaging performances,including an interesting collaboration between guitarist Sam Mills,Susheela Raman,an acclaimed British musician of Indian origin,and local folk percussionists. There is also a flemenco and Kalbeliya collaboration and a finale with multi-percussionist Pete Lockett. Living up to its reputation might not be so difficult,after all.

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