Songs from the Desert

A lecture demonstration by Bhutte Khan Manganiar and group under the auspices of the North Kerala chapter of Spic Macay was held on 02 July at the school auditorium. Kalbeliya and Bhawai dancers performed to accompaniment by Manganiar musicians. The musicians are from the Langas and Manganiars who are groups of hereditary musicians. Bhutte Khan conducts workshops and lectures across the country to propagate the folk tunes and beats of Rajasthan. Bhutte Khan Manganiar and group are in Kerala till the 5th of July. 

 

Interview: Bhutte Khan Manganiar,  Rajasthani folk musician.  Interviewed by our fluent Hindi speaking staff, Ms Anita Kumari  and Ms Remya. Translation of excerpts as follows:

Where are you from?

We are from Western Rajasthan, from Jaisalmer near Barmer which borders Pakistan.

 You say your community have been singing and performing for seven generations. When do you start training?

 In the Manganiyar community we are not given any sort of training. I myself did not get any. Our children start singing automatically. They even cry in a sort of melodious way, we like to think.

 Are your children given regular school education?
 Yes, that goes on along with their musical development.

 Have your troupe performed abroad?
 Yes, we have visited many foreign countries.

 And what do they think of our Indian folk music.
They have great deal of esteem and regard for our folk music.

 And what do you do when are back in you village?
We carry on with our performances. We are often called to perform at wedding and other traditional events. This this keeps us busy.

We find the attire of your dancers very colourful and striking even though it had dominant black tones to it.
That is right. Our costumes are quite captivating on stage.

 Are these dancers related to you?
No, they are not. These dancers are from another community who are traditional dancers.

Are the younger members of your community keen on following in your footsteps?
Our younger generation is very much interested in carrying on our tradition. At the same time they like to try out new generation or Bollywood songs. A member of our community Moti Khan was on a national television channel show performing our traditional songs.

 Now a word about Kerala. Have you been to Kerala before?
Yes, we have been here three times already.

And how do you find the place? How does this compare with the climate in Rajasthan?
We find it extremely beautiful and green.  Back home it is very hot except it rains. But in Jaisalmer it is hot around the year.

How do you find Kerala food?
We like it though it is considerably less spicy than our Rajasthani food. Besides our roti is made from maize not wheat. All in all  Kerala, has been an amazing experience for us.