Over the last few
decades the quaint and rustic representation of ‘Rajasthani folk music’ has transmuted
into a veritable trope of brand ‘Rajasthan’ being represented in different forms and patterns by public and
private actors. A handful of musicians from these communities are now regulars
on national and international festivals, tours and cultural exchange circuits
of different genres of ‘world music’. This has contributed to the much hyped visibility
of folk musicians from the Thar desert. The
production of culture industry incessantly expands in its all encompassing
influence becoming widespread with many Indian and foreign labels fervently
producing ‘haunting’, ‘seductive’, ‘melodic’, ‘lilting’, ‘soul stirring’ folk music
from the deserts of Thar, Rajasthan. Latest
to join the on going glitter of culture industry are mega live music events amidst
sand dunes, recreating the royal heritage, organised in collusion by media
syndicates, local tourism lobby and regional elites. The folk musicians are
paraded endlessly to adorn the gatherings of culture elite, fairs and festivals
in Rajasthan. Folk music interludes are a quintessential feature in tour and
travel packages for foreign and domestic tourists. The enticing overtures and soul stirring renditions of these musicians are ceaselessly marketed
globally and locally by music industry- tourism complex.
Underneath this scintillating
and loud sonic extravaganza of folk music lies a sordid story of languishing
traditions, pathos and destitution that characterizes lives of majority of
these marginal practitioners of culture. Issues of everyday existence,
dignified survival and well being of these musician communities continue to escape
public discourse with unceasing monotony. The ‘intoxicating headiness’ whipped
up by a series of fleeting yet bewitching representations of Rajasthani folk
music surreptitiously casts a thick veil over everyday hardships of living contexts
of these musician communities and their music traditions.
And the lilt of the archetypal Padharo Mhare Des goes on...
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