7.9.2017,
End of Day 1, Jaisalmer, 1:36 am
As we checked
into our hotel rooms, after about 15 hours of tiring train journey in
blistering heat, my mind and body revolted against the tiredness, and my heart
pumped with excitement with the anticipation of our upcoming journey and day,
and the things which we were about to explore.
“Let me lose myself in this golden city,
Amongst the golden sand dunes,
And the melody of the folk tunes,
To be intoxicated with the spirit of music”
This is my
first day of volunteering with Anahad foundation, a non-profit organization
targeted towards upliftment and conserving the intangible heritage of the folk
singers of Jaisalmer. As someone said, real talent is found in these dingy
by-lanes, and in this case, it’s hidden in this medieval city, and its golden
sand dunes.
So we began
our day, seven of us packed in a Tavera, with all our equipment, on our way to
Sam, a small settlement about 40kms from Jaisalmer, where we met the artist,
Bagga Khan, fondly known as Bagge, of the Manganiyar community of Rajasthan.
Manganiyars are Muslim communities in Sindh and Rajasthan areas and are famous
for their classical folk music. Over the next couple of hours, Bagga Khan and
his group members explained the nuances of their music, their singing style,
and the various ragas. As Bagge Khan explained, members of his community were
basically singers in the royal court, and their music genre mainly comprises
of Bhajans and Sufi songs. These bhajans
are based on verses composed by famous mystics like Meerabai and Kabeer.
We recorded
two songs sung by Bagga Khan and his group : “Maan khero laavo leeje” by Joshi
Tulsa, and “paapi milijo pachaas” based on Kabeer’s couplets. Both these songs,
left us spell bounded and mesmerized. Played on simple instruments like “Tandura” and Harmonium, both songs
speak about humanity and love. Most of these songs are composed in “Chautaal” or a 4 beat cycle. As Bagge
Khan quotes the famous poet Bulle Shah
“Love is of two types, one is the unending love for Allah and one is the love
which we share with each other”. And this love can be best expressed through
music, as Shakespeare said “If music be
the food for love, Play on”.
While
explaining why music is the most powerful thing in the world, Bagge Khan says
that even the highest King, will bow down and shake his head with the rhythmic
melody of a song. The whole conversation with Bagge Khan reflected his passion
towards folk music, which has been a tradition in his family since centuries,
and his group members wish that their future generations also carry forward this
tradition. So far, Bagge Khan has performed in many places in India and abroad
but cites Kolkata as his favorite city to perform in India, and Paris if we
talk about the western counterparts. The whole experience of interviewing and
recording these artists overwhelmed us, and I wondered on the fact that why
such talent is still unnoticed and hidden from the eyes of the mainstream
audience.
In the
evening, we met the Prince Chaitanya Raj of Jaisalmer and discussed about the
various tangible and intangible heritage aspects of Jaisalmer fort. As per
Chaitanya, the Government wants the occupants of the fort to vacate it.
Jaisalmer fort is the only “living fort” in the world, as people have been
living inside this fort since centuries and it is still inhabited by the
descendants of these people. Even though UNESCO enlists Jaisalmer Fort as one
of the world heritage sites, there have been no substantial conservation work
in the past years. Conservation, in broader sense, not only means conservation
of the bricks, building and material, but it also means conservation of the
social fabric, which was the whole agenda of our meeting with Chaitanya. As
Jawaharlal Nehru says in Discovery of India, that India is like a palimpsest,
over which layers and layers of thoughts and reverie has been inscribed, so is
the case of Jaisalmer fort, in which generations have been living since
centuries, and the mere thought of uprooting the inhabitants from their
livelihoods is enraging for them. Therefore, the question is, how can we
actually document the activities inside the fort by carrying out an extensive
household survey which will be actually helpful for the Government.
As we carried
out these serious discussions, we couldn’t help but admire the pizzas served to
us in this rooftop restaurant which is being run by an Italian lady.
This is the
land of ruins, life, food, music and love.
Today’s whole
experience has enriched me and has added to my knowledge base greatly, as a
student of Carnatic music myself, I can’t help admire and relate to anything
connected with classical music. And this is the real music which we intend to
preserve in Anahad, and to provide a platform for these artists who have been
engaged in this since centuries. The coming days will hopefully enfold many
more dimensions and possibilities of these folk artists, as we attempt to
document and understand their livelihoods better.
In the end, I
would like to quote a couplet from Bagge Khan’s song:
“Maan khero laavo leeje, mili nahi baaram-baar”
Life
as a human is precious and one should use it to the fullest, as “life as a
human” is granted only once.
In other words, you
only live once, so go out, explore, live and lead a fulfilling life.
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