MNREGA Ignores Sufi Folk musicians of thar desert

Sufi Folk musicians of thar desert combat drought to live with dignity

The ensuing note tells about an effort by Mir musicians to combat desert strife in the hope of safeguarding their life affirming creativity. As drought tightens its clutches, with the advancing summers dooming lives to ever increasing daily misery, the Mirs are engaged in a valiant quest for dignity for themselves and their musical traditions that are a rich repertoire of sufiyana qalam and nirgun bhakti.

Baba Farid Rang is a small learning camp organised in a small settlement called 1PB (Pugal Branch), one of the IGNP settlements in Bikaner, Rajasthan. At a time when there has been practically no water for irrigation since the past year and a drinking water scarcity that worsens with each day, the Mirs have decided to take on these hostile conditions by invoking their soul stirring music, in the hope of rescuing themselves from the grip of this scourge of drought.

Most of the Mir singers are BPL families who do not really get work in the on going NREGA works that have large numbers to accommodate on their muster rolls, besides being entrenched in nepotism, delayed and irregular payments. For the Mirs it is an attempt to revive their tradition and earn a more respectable and dignified work other than just digging and carting earth.

The camp has been going on since last month supported through voluntary contributions from music enthusiasts from Delhi and Mumbai. There have been five learners and three ustads who occasionally visit the camp that continues with full passion and energy in the blazing heat of the day and cool star studded nights.

Such a collective effort would be surely motivated from your kind support. You could give them an opportunity to perform. If not an opportunity for performance, some modest contribution to help carry on with this by including more musicians, both learners and ustads.

Abdul Jabbar (09784939212) and Bassu Khan (09929787552) are leaders of the camp. You could get in touch with them for supporting their music. Since correspondence to these areas is difficult, contributions could be directly put into their joint bank account the details for which are as follows:

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, Pugal, Bikaner

Bank Code: 10408

IFC Code: SBBJ0010408

Bank Account No. : 61092898080

Cheque could be given in the name of Abdul Jabbar and Bassu Khan, and sent to

Rahul Ghai, 179 Sahyog Apartments, Mayur Vihar Phase I, New Delhi 110092

here are some photographs of the camp

Though a rough cut recording, listen to a qalam that sings of the prayers of drought struck people yearning for a water source (toba); and another qawali sung in the praise of the unmatched sacrifice on the path of Ishq by Mansur

Please find a link below of a small piece on desert strife and creativity. You might find it useful.

http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2009/11/3336