Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Full throated, haunting and with feeling
|
A group of folk singers rendered songs from the desert land of Rajasthan in Kochi recently. NIRMALA ARAVIND relives the special ambience created by their songs, unique musical instruments and costumes.
|
CAN YOU imagine a Barkhat Khan singing a Meera bhajan, or a Mubarak Khan lifting his voice in praise of Lord Krishna? When the group of seven musicians dressed in white dhotis and kurtas, heads adorned by colourful , oversized turbans , stepped on to the stage , the audience, composed mainly of college students, certainly did not know they were about to hear music they had never heard before , full bodied , haunting , plaintive and sprightly by turns, that would for the space of one and a half hours, transport them to the desert sands of Rajasthan. Or that they were to witness the evidence of a unique composite culture that originated in the wild, desolate stretches of Sind and north western Rajasthan, where certain castes of minstrels who converted to Islam in the 17th century retained old Hindu practices and sang for their rulers and `yajmans' in temples and courtyards.
It was SPIC MACAY who brought the Langas and Manganiyars of Rajasthan to the campuses of Kerala , as part of the music and drama festival Virasat 2002 . The team ranged from wizened old Moosekhan Langa with his sarangi to the teenaged Sukhurkhan Langa who displayed talents on the alkoja, a double flute, and the morchang, that belied his boyish looks. There was a variety of artistic styles too on display, with the dashing Baurukhan Langa setting feet tapping and hands clapping with virtuoso displays with the flat wooden khartals, while the singers, Jaipukhan Langa, Barkhatkhan Manganiyar and Mubarakkhan Langa, were a picture of dignity. On the kamayacha was Akhamkhan Manganiyar, with his fine grey moustache that was a treat to behold.
The first songs were an introduction to this genre of folk music. These were voices that could certainly carry over vast spaces, as they sang untrammelled by urban notions of refinement, powerful voices that sang out stories of separation and longing, as for instance, a song titled `Hitchki' or `Hiccup' about a young woman who has bid farewell to her man, and when she gets a fit of hiccups, thinks of it as a sure sign that he is thinking of her.
Sukhurkhan Langa next played the morchang with dexterity, and charmed the audience with a melodious piece on the alkoja. Jaipukhan Langa, who was the spokesman of the group, then displayed his prowess on the dholak. But it was Bairukhan Langa and his magical khartals, two flat pieces of wood clapped together in each palm, who had the audience entranced as he swayed, rocked on his knees and brandished the khartals with abandon. It was music that had feet stamping and would probably have had feet dancing if the venue wasn't a college auditorium with teachers in attendance!
The group rendered a Meera bhajan with fervour. Since the folk music of the Langas and Manganiyars captured the popular imagination, their songs have been plagiarised by Hindi film music composers and become hits, though their folk origins are perhaps not so well known. The audience was treated to the original song `Nimbuda', sung with gusto by Barkhatkhan Manganiyar and Mubarakkhan Langa, accompanied by the lively khartals.
The recital came to an end with a devotional song that is better known through its popular Hindi film derivative, `Mast Kalandar '. After this unforgettable performance, Jaipukhan Langa sought the audience's pardon with grave humility for any shortcomings that may have occurred, as they were "only folk musicians", not trained performers. But it was a recital that called for a standing ovation, for the enchanting music that transmitted to the listeners the haunting beauty of desert spaces and the dauntless spirit of its brave men and women.
It is a tribute to the vision and dedication of Prof. Komal Kothari and other folklorists of Rajasthan that a vibrant art form that had for centuries been sustained by princes and landlords, and was dying out when the winds of independence and modernity swept over the princely states, was rescued from oblivion and introduced to appreciative audiences in India and abroad. They were keepers of the family history of their masters, Manganiyars singing for royalty and Langas for merchants and landlords, singing at births, weddings, deaths and every event of importance in the families who were their patrons. These simple, traditional artistes have adapted their music to stages and studios without losing any of the animation and vigour that sets it apart.
Kochi audiences discovered that the most traditional of folk musicians could set pulses acclimatised to rap and rock racing with four flat pieces of wood clapping, and songs from caravan towns in distant Rajasthan.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
