MUMBAI: Jodhpur RIFF started in 2007 as a way to support and foster the immense talent of folk artists from Rajasthan and other parts of India, and celebrate roots music from across the globe. A not-for-profit music festival, it has always placed the artist at the centre of its enterprise. It has worked to revive near forgotten forms of music, take the Indian artist to the global stage and engineer collaboration between musicians from different cultures.
A record number of audience members attended the last full day of the festival that coincided with Sharad Poornima – the brightest full moon of the year.
On the 9th of October, in an auspicious start, Jasleen Kaur Monga heralded the dawn with chants and jaaps from the Guru Granth Sahib. Characteristic of the Sikh tradition, she created a serene mood with her shabads, reet, and nirguni bhajans as the first light of day appeared and dawn broke over the city.
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A rigorous dance bootcamp awaited participants with Kalbeliya dancer Asha Sapera. With both demonstration and instruction, Sapera introduced participants to the popular Rajasthani dance form, ghoomar. Learning to synchronise their footwork and hand movements amid the spinning motion characteristic of ghoomar, festival goers expressed newfound appreciation for the dancers who perform this complex form effortlessly.
Spending the afternoon in Chokelao Bagh with stalwarts of the Manganiyar and Langa communities, audiences were introduced to the Sufi tradition in Rajasthani music through an interactive session. Led by Saawan ji and Kachara ji, they also heard songs from Chanan ji, representing the Manganiyars, and Muse ji and Rashid ji, representing the Langas. With each performer’s distinctive singing style and vast knowledge of traditional Sufi poetry and poets, it made for an enlightening session.
After a brief rest, a little while before the sun would set, festival goers gathered at Jaswant Thada for a special Moonrise Session featuring a duet from Ustad Dilshad Khan, one of the country’s foremost North Indian classical sarangi players, and accomplished flautist Pandit Pravin Godkandi. Accompanied by the masterful Ustad Akram Khan on the tabla, and Shri Pratap Patil on the pakhawaj, it was an evening to remember. As the musicians played the choicest evening ragas, the brightest full moon of the year appeared in the sky even as a spectacular sunset was underway.
Then, it was time for the final main stage event of the festival, kicked off by Anita and Prem Dangi, two accomplished exponents of Maand – a form of music that is part folk, part classical and uniquely Rajasthani. Yurdal Tokcan was next, enchanting on the oud, making the audience understand why he’s often cited as the finest oud player in the world. His passion for the instrument shone through in his performance, and he ended by giving festival-goers a glimpse of his developing collaboration with sarangi maestro Ustad Dilshad Khan, an unexpected coming together of two string instruments from two very different cultures. The oud and sarangi were then replaced by the kamaicha, at the centre of the stage. The magic of this rare Manganiyar string instrument was unleashed by brothers Ghewar and Darra Manganiyar, sons of the greatest kamaicha player, late Padma Shri Sakar Khan ji.
But the great potential of Jodhpur RIFF’s vision was truly embodied in the next act: Citadels of the Sun. An Irish-Rajasthani collaboration facilitated by the festival, the unusual yet beautiful interaction of the fiddle and the uilleann pipes, with the sarangi and dholak, made for a captivating sound. These musicians from Donegal and Rajasthan had kept up their collaboration over the pandemic. They ended with a song that was an ode to Ireland’s most famous hill fort, Grianan of Aileach and Mehrangarh Fort— the iconic venue of Jodhpur RIFF.
The main stage came to an end with the most popular iteration of folk in our culture — qawwali by Warsi Brothers — legatees of none other than Amir Khusro. The finest qawwals of our times wove music from different parts of India with mesmerising lyrics and the audience did not let them leave the stage until well past midnight.
Hopped up on the energy of the Warsi Brothers, festival-goers were in luck, as the final event of the day was a festival mainstay: the Rustle. This year’s appointed ‘rustler’, Rhys Sebastian, who is the saxophonist and frontman of Bombay Brass, rustled up a number of performers on the roster for Jodhpur RIFF 2022 and led them into a grand ‘jam’ – a rousing musical journey disregarding all convention, a place for musicians from all over the globe to truly connect with each other’s instruments and styles.
In a befitting end to the festival on the dawn of 10th of October, Prahlad Tipanya sang Kabir bhajans in the Malwi style. As the full moon gave way to the first rays of the sun and the music of Kabir echoed in the grand cenotaph of Jaswant Thada, audiences left with the promise to return next year for yet another magical edition.
Festival Director Divya Bhatia said, “Jodhpur RIFF returned after a forced hiatus of two years and the response has been overwhelming. Almost 300 artists performed and every performance venue was packed to capacity. Audiences lined up for hours for last minute tickets and kept pace with every performance – listening enraptured in pin drop silence to meditative solos, taking in the breathtaking venue in the moonlight and dancing until the wee hours when the rhythms picked up. We were delighted to meet so many audience members who have been attending the festival year on year but it was also special to hear from first time audience members and feel the magic of Jodhpur RIFF anew through their eyes.”
Aga Khan Music Awards
The prestigious Aga Khan Music Awards, which recognise laureates for effectively engaging with contemporary social and environmental issues while sustaining and developing musical traditions, recognised two of Jodhpur RIFF’s own this year. Asin Khan Langa, ingenious vocalist and maestro of sindhi sarangi, from a small village called Badnava, was recognised for reviving the unique folk traditions of Rajasthan and developing collaborations with renowned international artists. Ustad Dilshad Khan, the foremost North Indian classical sarangi player in India, also received a Special Mention. All award winners and recipients of Special Mentions are to receive a prize fund of $500,000 as well as opportunities for professional development.
About Jodhpur RIFF
Timed to coincide with “Sharad Purnima”, the brightest full moon of the year in north India, Jodhpur RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur is the Chief Patron of the festival and Sir Mick Jagger is its International Patron. Mr. Divya Bhatia is the Festival Director.
Jodhpur RIFF is a not-for-profit festival, committed to supporting the roots music traditions. In its origin, it is a joint initiative of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, John Singh and Jaipur Virasat Foundation.
