In its endeavor to introduce the concept of Safeguarding ICH practices, Madhukali has been in contact with members of several communities. It is with a sense of fulfillment and joy that we acknowledge success. The musician communities of Rajasthan have fared a whit better than their counterparts as a result of projection and promotion of the state as tourist destination of India. Several f them have been fortunate in taking their art to distant lands. Suraj Bhopa is one such, who through collaboration with Italian singer Andrea Camerini, has toured widely and made his singing style visible to the world. Yet, it takes a community decision to plan survival and preservation of their cultural heritage.

Read the rest of this entry »

There is joy in ringing in the new, but sorrow as it gets difficult to hold on to old. Poets have mourned this loss and patrons / scholars / enthusiasts have tried strategies to stop or delay the decay. After all, life can not be ordered about. The erosion is as much a reality as evolution. Often the old resurfaces in new forms. Yet, the loss in past two decades results not from the natural cycle but from a mighty force growing rapidly. What started merely with promise of ‘economic liberalization’ has affected the distribution of wealth and labor in a way that current life-style has become outdated overnight. Thinkers had predicted about such ‘future-shock’ but little study was made for veracity of their claim; effectively, no study readied people for this. The global concern for safe-guarding at least some of the practices – rich repositories of knowledge conveyed through oral tradition – is a creditable step in the right direction, but overall response is not sufficient. Only one university has made this a part of academic curriculum. That too as a short summer course. Yet a beginning has been made in the direction of Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage practices throughout the globe. Four nations have concrete plans while three others are in process of submitting theirs regarding Consultation on ways of celebrating the year 2013 as the tenth anniversary of the Convention.

India has always been a conglomerate of distinct cultures co-existing harmoniously while maintaining uniqueness. The myriad jewels nurtured in a static life-style were preserved in balance due to absence of any fierce volatility. They are so many that it has been difficult to inventory them. There was no need to do so a few years back.

Today, there are a thousand practices in that many square miles which would soon be annihilated by the massive force of changing life-style. He, who has more stands to lose more. Only if all communities had found a Kamal Kothari, numerous art-forms, life-styles can still be conserved, safe-guarded like the singing of Langa and Manganiars.

Yet, what is the extent of preservation, even in the best case? Mr. Kothari through Herculean efforts brought these rural singers on brink of starvation to limelight. Small groups of folk artiste were formed like co-operative societies.  The tourism and culture departments of Rajasthan were motivated to promote tourism by supporting the folk artistes. The simple entertainers, under the demand of an alien interest learnt new forms of behavior. They exchanged their  simple faith for craft of a showman. As a result, with little respect for their own heritage they are quick to mimic it for the pay-master curiosity eager to subvert all in order to retain interest.

Roze Khan confesses that while others make money out of mimicking their art (Musicians in film industry who lift their tunes) they are content to teach their art to children in their self-styled ‘school’ at Barmer.  The word ‘Manganiar’ comes from an epithet, now considered derogatory – Alm-seekers, beggars. This has, thus, been a tribe, rich in humility – accepting that which was given – as blessed in the joy of making music. It is not music alone but their contentment that is precious and needs to be preserved, if not in all, at least in some members of society. With commercialization changing their very attitudes, they too shall be turned into mummified curio-s that one day having lost their sheen of interest to the buyers, will neither have humility, contentment nor hope to bank upon.

As a last word, this wandering tribe with open access to royal courts and street-corners alike, had an ability to recognize good music and ingrain the classical rules into their rustic lays; they have been instrumental in keeping alive many musical phrases which were lost with gradual death of many schools of classical music. With Langa and Manganiar-s it is not only spirit of stoic contentment and gaiety born of innocence that is preserved, but also a part of Indian Classical Music. They are content to beg… for your patience and enjoyment. Do send them your commendations at their email address:  tharlok_kalasansthan@yahoo.com