Work with the Mirs, the mesmerizing singers from the interiors of the sandy Thar is getting livelier. It seems to be picking up largely through the grace of the ever increasing audience/lovers of Sufi Music and the tenacity of the Mirs to carry on with their traditions.
It was nice to get a phone call from Razak Ali and that he has been diligently at his music, learning from the grand old ustaad, his own grandfather Subhan Khan. Raza has been giving programmes in North rajasthan. Waris Ali and Abdul Jabbar seem more sure of froming a more consistent schedule for their musical traditions. Shabnam Virmani from Srishti the Design school at Bangalore was telling the other day that 27 students are going to Pugal to learn local cultural history, would be spending a week with the Mukhtiyar, the Mirs and other folk singers. While browsing came across mention of a support initiative by Manana, a Delhi based NGO. it was delightful to see Bassu Khan's photograph who has been identified as a young talent to be groomed. They have been funded in this by the National Culture Fund. Mukhtiyar the other day was telling that even the Western Rajasthan Culture Zonal Centre at Udaipur was taking interest in developing an initiative on teaching young Mir children.
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