Tunes from dunes

The Rajasthani group, which was in town as part of 11-day Inter-State Cultural Exchange Programme of Sangeet Natak Akademi in Tamil Nadu, won over audiences with its stunningly vibrant performances.

ANY FOLK art is a blemishless emotional outburst of the natives, which catches the steady thud of the Earth's heartbeat. It is a form of expression, which is true, pure, uninfluenced and unveils the raw concerns of its people.

There is no room for any dressing up or false note. It reflects the lifestyle of the natives as it is in harmony with their local environment.

Visitors at the Victoria Edward Hall on a hot Tuesday evening had a superb cultural feast of the eye.

Totally spellbound, they sat through a colourful programme of Rajasthani folk arts superlatively rich in tradition.

The Rajasthani group was in town as part of 11-day Inter-State Cultural Exchange Programme of Sangeet Natak Akademi in Tamil Nadu. The troupe won over audiences with its stunningly vibrant performances.

The city function was jointly organised by the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram and Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi, Jodhpur.

"The people of Rajasthan like to live life to the hilt. After a hard day's work under the scorching sun in the difficult and harsh desert or rocky terrain, they just let themselves off in gay abandon at the slightest of opportunity coming their way. There is a lot of fun dancing, singing, drama, devotional music and puppet shows. There are several community festivities, which transform the hardworking Rajasthani into a fun-loving individual. Each region has its own folk entertainment. The styles of dancing and singing differ. Interestingly enough, every region has its own musical instruments," said B.K Gaur, Manager of the troupe.

Of considerable significance were the folk songs and the communities who rendered these songs.

Professional performers like the Bhaats, Dholis, Mirasis, Nats, Bhopas and Bhands are omnipresent across the state. They were patronised by the villagers who participate actively in the shows put up by these travelling entertainers.

Some of the folk entertainment performed by the artists were: `Satara'/ `Murla', `Surnai', `Langa songs' and `Hichki' and `Gorband', `Terahtal', `Bhavi' dance, `Ghoomar' dance, `Kalbelia' dance, `Mayur' dance and `Bhapang'.

The `Satara' of the Langa community had one long flute and another flute to provide the drone.

The `Narh or Nad' produced music most evocative of the desert. It was a vertical flute with a single long hollow tube, into which the player whistled, at the same time gurgling a song in his throat or actually singing intermittently, producing a haunting effect. This instrument with sonorous notes was played in the western regions of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Caravan travellers and shepherds played this instrument while travelling on this arid belt.

`Murla' was very similar to the snake-charmer's organ and had full range of notes with possibilities of all elaborations. The Langas had inherited a set of peculiar ragas and the instrument also conformed to those ragas.

Camels are not just beasts of burden but an integral part of Rajasthani life. The camel fair confirms this fact.

Special efforts go in to dressing the "ship of the desert" for the popular and spectacular competition of best-dressed camel.

And `Gorband' was a folk song to describe the making of the camel's necklace.

`Terahtal' was a folk dance performed mostly by the Kamad community of Pokhran and Deedwana in honour of deity Baba Ramdeo. It was a performance where the men play a four-stringed instrument called a `chau-tara' while the women sat with dozens of manjeeras, or cymbals, tied all over their bodies and striking them with the one they hold in their hands. Sometimes, the women also hold a sword between their teeth or place pots with lighted lamps on their heads to highlight their precision and perfection because any flaw in their performance could inflict cut injuries.

`Mayur' was a peacock dance of Vraj province, which depicted the divine love between Krishna and Radha. The legend of this art form was that in an attempt to please His consort Radha, Lord Krishna takes the form of a peacock and dances. Soon Radha too joins the party.

"We have been into this art form from our birth. It is passed on to generations. Now I am performing `Mayur' dance, which came to me from my father and he inherited it from my grandfather. In an effort to popularise this art form I conduct classes," said Vishnu Dutt Sharma from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan.

"It is really amazing. We are happy to visit a place, which is rich in culture and heritage. It is hard to find such a receptive audience," noted Manju Bhurdas from Udaipur District who performed `Bhavi' dance.

The spectacular kaleidoscope of the folk music of Rajasthan had an almost unending list of instruments and dance forms that were rich, rare and provided music that ranged from simple to peppy fast tunes, to soulful, deep, introspective music.

The region might be dry but not their folk art forms.

The hardships they undergo in the deserts perhaps is a good reason for them to create various forms of folk arts to rejuvenate their spirits for the hard days ahead.

T. SARAVANAN

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