Report: Jodhpur RIFF 2022
Khasi musicians from Meghalaya, singers of nirguni bhajans, Sufi and Bhakti poetry, Welsh and Turkish performers and Mexican and Kalbeliya dancers were all part of the five-day festival
Intro: Khasi musicians from Meghalaya, singers of nirguni bhajans, Sufi and Bhakti poetry, Welsh and Turkish performers and Mexican and Kalbeliya dancers were all part of the five-day festival
After years of hearing people gush about Jodhpur RIFF, I finally made it to the five-day music festival held from October 6 to 10 in and around the Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan. Picture this: 250 artists from India, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Wales, Israel, Mauritius, Ireland, and the Netherlands! I was blown away by the quality of programming because a balance between spectacle and intimacy is quite rare.
It struck me as a festival for music lovers rather than music scholars or critics. One did not have to show off what one knew, or hide what one did not. One simply had to show up, and flow with the music. Listening too is a form of participation – one that is undervalued in times where articulation – however half-baked – is highly valued. Thankfully, there was minimal commentary before, after and between performances, at least the ones I attended.
Hosted under the aegis of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur, the festival events were scheduled at different venues such as the Dhana Bhiyan Chhatri, Old Zenana Courtyard, Jaswant Thada, Chokelao Bagh, Salim Kot, Veer Durga Das Memorial Park, and the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park, each of which had its own charm and character.
The festival opened with a morning session of music, dance and storytelling for the children of Jodhpur, featuring folk art forms such as kathputli, ghoomer, kachchi ghodi, and teraah taali. That evening, there was a free concert with a line-up of Indian and international musicians. On the one hand, it served as a curtain raiser. On the other hand, it was a good opportunity for those who could not afford to spend thousands of rupees on entertainment. The tickets provide value for money but they are out of reach for most Rajasthani audiences.
An astonishing variety of instruments came together to create music at Jodhpur RIFF – oud, kamaicha, guitar, sindhi sarangi, dholak, khartal, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, chang, duitara, tangmuri, saxophone, alghoza, morchang, tambura, pakhawaj, bansuri, tabla, and others. The itinerary included performances by Lakha Khan, Sumitra Devi, the Warsi Brothers, Mauricio Caruso, Riff Cohen, Ashok Pahadia, Bombay Brass, Emlyn, ARIFA, Anwar Khan Baiya, Yurdal Tokcan, SAZ, Citadels of the Sun, Harpreet Singh, Bawari Basanti, Saawan and Kachara Manganiyar, among others. At the dance bootcamp, one could also learn traditional Mexican dances with choreographer Jaciel Neri, and Kalbeliya dances with Asha Sapera.
My favourite performances were the early morning ones at Jaswant Thada between 5:30 and 7:30am. I managed to catch three of those on three consecutive days, with a little help from chai served in kulhads. The experience was humbling, and certainly worth losing some sleep for. The morning concerts were packed with college students as the tickets were priced much lower than the rest of the festival. Seeing young people partake of the wisdom found in Bhakti and Sufi traditions was reassuring. Of course, they were also making Instagram reels. Each generation finds its own way of engaging, so no judgement there!
It was incredible to wake up in Rajasthan and hear Khasi musicians from Meghalaya – Meban Lyngdoh, Amabel Susngi, Risingbor Kurkalang, and Banshailnag Mukhim – welcome the dawn with words and tunes that pierced the heart and brought some listeners to tears. The performers gave a gist of the songs, and spoke about their musical influences that include music from Christian missionaries, other states in the Northeast, Bangladesh, and from Hindi films.
Jasleen Kaur Monga’s shabad and nirguni bhajans sung with deep devotion under the open skies in the first light of day created magic. Many in the audience covered their heads for this particular concert as a mark of respect to the Guru Granth Sahib. Before her rendition of Koi bola Ram Ram, koi bola Khudaye, the singer said, “It doesn’t matter what religion you practise, which caste you belong to, where you are from, what language you speak. The Guru Granth Sahib speaks of unity.” I was also moved by the skill and sincerity with which she sang the poetry of Baba Farid, the Punjabi Sufi poet who is given a place of honour in the holy book of the Sikhs.
The morning concert on the last day was performed by folk maestro Prahlad Tipanya and his mandli from Madhya Pradesh. They sang a selection of Kabir saakhis and bhajans from their vast nirguni repertoire in the Malwi language. One of these was the foot-tapping Tu ka Tu, a song celebrating the formless in all life forms – flower and branch, ant and elephant, man and woman, thief and cop, beggar and philanthropist – and urging listeners to be wary of arrogance, power games and excessive attachment to identity that create walls between us.
After each morning concert, there were free guided walks through the Rao Jodha Desert Park. I went for one led by Denzel Britto, a Goan settled in Rajasthan who works as a naturalist with the Mehrangarh Museum Trust. The walk with him was an outdoor lesson in geography and ecology. He spoke to us about the volcanic rocks – mainly rhyolite – and the different plant, animal and bird species there. It was fun to learn about life cycles of insects, water conservation, species that support each other, and species that threaten to destroy each other.
Coming back to music, I was moved by Suraiya’s rendition of Kesariya Baalam Aavoni Padharo Mhaare Des and the moonrise concert by Dilshad Khan and Pratap Patil on Sharad Poornima. The Pallo Latke performance at the Riff Rustle led by Rhys Sebastian and Jehangir Jehangir which “rustled up” musicians from different countries to jam together was excellent too.
Jodhpur RIFF also showcased a collaboration between Gareth Bonello, Sindhi Sarangi player Asif Khan Langa, and the Khasi musicians. Bonello is a Cardiff-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who draws inspiration from Welsh folk music. He conducted his PhD fieldwork in Shillong and neighbouring villages, where he studied the relationship between Welsh and Khasi music and the history of the Welsh Overseas Mission in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Many elements of Khasi culture were suppressed by the Christian missionaries. Bonello has been making music with the Khasis, and they also have an album together. He began to jam with Asif Khan Langa on WhatsApp and Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While relishing gulkand kheer under the moonlight on my last night in Jodhpur, I thought of my own positionality as an English-speaking Mumbai-bred person of Rajasthani heritage consuming my own culture in a curated environment. While I felt uncomfortable about the absence of girls and women from most Rajasthani music troupes performing at Jodhpur RIFF, I also wondered if it was my place as an outsider to comment on the evolution of a tradition without any profound understanding of the cultural, economic and political factors at play within the communities the performers came from. At the same time, I do think that urban people tend to romanticize oral traditions passed down from generation to generation without acknowledging that the inheritance is transmitted only to sons, and not daughters.
Jodhpur RIFF is a remarkable event for anyone interested in folk music and able to afford the tickets. Persons with physical disabilities and chronic pain can have a hard time as most of the venues do not have ramps with wheelchair access. The Mehrangarh Fort has an elevator but reaching the performance venues requires a bit of walking. Also, beware of bats if you go for the late-night concerts unless you are someone who enjoys the spooky along with the sublime.
Chintan Girish Modi is an independent writer, journalist and book reviewer.
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