Desert Rhapsody

The colours and sounds of the Sahara and Thar deserts played out in the Capital last year,as the first edition of Amarrass Desert Music Festival took place. The Manganiyars of Jodhpur and the Mali-based kora player Sidiki Diabate struck such a melodious note with the audiences that the novice festival has become one of the most-awaited dates on Delhi’s social calendar this year.

The second edition of the festival,set to take place on December 1-2 at Zorba in Delhi comes with a fresh approach towards music. “This time,the experience will be very different. It will be like a carnival,due to the change in the venue. Also,the line-up is very different — musicians from Bhuj,Jaisalmer and countries such as Niger and Turkey,” says Ravmeet Kler,one of the organisers.

From Bombino,said to be Niger’s Jimi Hendrix,to a Turkish psychedelic folk band called Baba ZuLa,to 76-year-old kamancha player Sakar Khan and the tribal musicians of Bhuj’s Sidi community — it is going to be a host of new colours and sounds. The tickets are priced at Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500.