Rajasthan, India’s largest State (by area), is also known as the Great Indian Desert, a desert State that serves as a lush exhibition of exotica for keen onlookers. Its gustatory delights have been sustained through centuries and civilisations, cultivating a rich cultural heritage and putting India on the global map. Be it for its royal lineages or tribal enchantments, the State’s art and culture have elicited supremely awed fascinations across the globe.
Even a quick stop at its Capital, Jaipur, will make it inescapably evident that the city dwells between the architectural glories of its archaic lores and the modern, clamorous excitement of, say, a Tuesday morning. Almost every signboard on its overwrought streets amidst the chaos on roads, honking and traffic, directs one towards its historical markers, such as the Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Amer Fort, and the likes.
Even the moment one enters Jaipur, abandoned forts and ruins toweringly observe the city from the vicinity, as if preserving ancient secrets and charms to lure the ignorant new lot. But things are only getting better. Putting the spotlight on more Indian artistes and artworks now, the State is all set and excited to offer a counterpoint to the old historically charged notions of the ‘Western’ gaze. The people of Rajasthan are taking over their State, and how!
The State has been organising a series of festivals to uphold its extensive assortment of aesthetics and goodwill. These festivals seek to merge ritual with religion, tradition with modernity. At the same time, they intend to promote indigenous art and artisans, shifting the cultural landscape of the State from the Western outsider’s purview to a more anachronistic visual paradigm. Some of these festivals include Dastakar Haat, which was held at the medieval venue of Parasrampuria Dwar, opposite Jal Mahal, on October 16; Coke Studio Jaipur on October 17; Camel Fair at Pushkar scheduled to be held on November 19-25; Bhakti Festival at Ajmer on November 22-24; Winter Festival at Mount Abu on December 29-30; Camel Festival at Bikaner on January 9-10, 2016; Mewar Festival at Udaipur on April 9-11, 2016, and many more.
last month, the Capital city was adorned with Jogi art canvases on most of its billboards. The Jogi artists, all from the same family, came from Magriwada village at Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan. The illustrations they created with a local design company were then digitised and composed into canvases for public consumption. Some of these canvases were 40 feet tall.
Not only does each hoarding carry the information about the artists but a special cell at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation also contains further details about them. Reportedly, a permanent exhibition centre will be set up in a heritage building in the city.
Ashutosh Pednekar, Commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Jaipur Municipal Corporation, says: “This has been the initiative of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. The State Government wants to nurture Rajasthan into an open air art gallery. We want to attract tourists and the natives alike, turning the State into a moving canvas. Here in Jaipur, our latest movement is Auto Art, wherein at least 100 autos have been painted in different art forms of the State, making the dull and standard designs of the autos more enthralling. This has been the effort of both young Fine Arts students as well as senior artists, one of whom is a Jnanpith awardee. Also, fares for these auto rides are the same as the others.”
On Tuesday, Raje arrived for a conference on one of these autos from her residence to a convention centre, in a symbolic move to promote the State’s iconography into a modern, mobile artwork.
They also have similar plans of starting a tribal art museum as well as commission heritage walks across the city (preferably 1 km at the old city) next month to educate the masses on the historic and creative significance of their city. Many bawdis (ponds) of the city have been renovated and more people are being trained to contribute further.
Further plans for organising street plays for children, police bands, making the zoos more appealing, and so on, are in order now. They are also trying to regularly hold artiste performances and music concerts at the Central Park every second Saturday of the month. Earlier this year, on March 29-30 on the occasion of Rajasthan Diwas, Shubha Mudgal performed at the park at an event organised by the Department of Tourism. There are no charges for the audiences to attend these events. In fact, in December last year, at the Rajasthan Government’s one year anniversary, the chanting of Vedas was followed by readings of Amir Khusrow’s poems, Christian scriptures, Gurbani, and eventually ending the evening with a rock concert as well as a performance by singer Arijit Singh.
In the same way, the annual Pushkar festival also aims to cherish sacred music with qawali performances and lecture demonstrations for the visitors at Ajmer Fort, a treat visually, aurally as well as literally, as one indulges at the kachori stalls simultaneously!
Coke Studio Jaipur was attended by around 10,000 people, 60 to 70 per cent of whom were from the young generation. Now, for the slogging students of the sundry coaching institutes at Kota, Coke Studio will reportedly reach the town soon to offer some relief.
Shailendra Aggarwal, Principal Secretary, Tourism, says: “We are not only trying to introduce new art and culture events, but also revamping the old traditional festivals like Pushkar, Desert, Kumbhalgarh etc. It is not only aimed at attracting the tourists but also spreading a sense of pride among our own people. It fuses traditions with faith and makes the old mesmerising too. like our local artistes performed at the Rajasthan Week on March 24-30 this year.”
There are also plans to manufacture merchandise in all art forms, which will be made available for purchase online and in stores. The official Government site will continue to update about important events and several social media pages to promote the same will be worked upon with refurbished zeal.
Interestingly, all this is done with minimal Government expenses. Although none of these events and festivals imposes any fee on the public, the Government is being aided by private sponsors to carry out the ambitious projects. Aggarwal says, “At present, we have neither discussed nor even thought of asking the visitors to pay for anything. In the future too, they do not have to pay unless they are willing to.”
It is all very new at the moment and maybe a couple of years down the line the Government could be more independent, but as of now it is dependent on private investors. Dastakar was sponsored by three cement companies, Coca Cola funds Coke Studio, and there are other sponsors for the numerous festivals as well, such as Samsung, Toyota, JCB, Narayan Hrudayalaya ltd etc.
Mira Mehrishi, retired IAS officer and Chief Minister’s Advisory Council member, says: “The idea is to start a tourism campaign as opposed to tourism advertisement. At the same time, we also want to maintain social and environmental compliance. We would like to set up hospitality centres and train more people to participate in it. It would be fruitful if there could be free WiFi in all public spaces like bus stations, trains, and Central Park. Bikaner House in Delhi too is being revamped to make it look new and alluring. Even in the city, we are trying to leave no stone unturned to make it look prettier. The electrical poles on the streets will also hopefully be replaced by underground conduits to whichever extent possible.”
It is also been reported that the health and basic amenities of the artisans are being well looked after. Their health, food and all other emergency needs are said to be met well and more people are now being encouraged to be officially trained for more nuanced outputs.
Moving from a space where non-Indians contemplate India, the objective here is to refigure the discernments of the Indians in both an exotic and engaging way. Artistic and curatorial discourses as well as dialectics strive to form a well-defined series of artifacts and gusto.
Because domestic tourism is more concise and has its individual trademarks, it could establish itself with vigour in the tourism markets globally with expanded and sophisticated marketing strategies that are both succinct and emotive. Case in point, the ‘Incredible India’ advertisements. Speculatively, Rajasthan Tourism’s tagline, ‘Padharo Mhare Des’, is also about to be changed into something more thoughtful and striking, and will reportedly be executed by ad guru Piyush Pandey.
The target audience for these is both the young lot as well as the older generation. Other than the above festivals, the Rajasthani landscape serves as a canvas for several other such pursuits. In January every year, lakhs of people visit Jaipur for the annual literary festival, the JlF, which also sees the presence of internationally reputed and sought-after authors and artistes. The Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), deemed by UNESCO as one of the 25 best music festivals in the world, too has been becoming more prominent with every edition.
These two popular festivals are organised independent of Government intervention; the first is funded chiefly by Zee and the second by not-for-profit partnership between Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation. The festival furnishes tremendous exposure to local musicians, music forms and instruments: langa, Manganiyar, maand, as well as the kamaicha, morchang, sarangi etc.
The Rajasthan Photographic Association and Saksham Events, on the other hand, organises the Rajasthan Photo Fest annually. From October 30 to November 1 this year, the festival greeted thousands of photography enthusiasts, professionals, tourists and locals who came to absorb what multiple top brands such as Canon, Panasonic, Godrej, Sony, Technova, Epson, etc had to offer.
At a time when the country is overwhelmed by religious clashes and ideological conflicts, there could be nothing more jubilant than a forum which offers equal delight and gratitude to one and all. Rajasthan, known as one of the most romantic and beautiful travel destinations in the world, is resplendent with its architectural marvels, historical significance, and a growing techno-savvy modern culture.
The exquisiteness of the State soothes the nerves of all travellers, dejected and cheerful alike. The ethnic food, rites, handlooms and other artifacts of the State have been talked about and marveled at internationally. The grandiose of the palaces, the splendours of the lakes, the vibrant birds the State is known for, its ascetic deserts, folk music and culture, all make Rajasthan a deeply beguiling space for not just tranquility but also some of the most exciting moments one could aspire in one’s life. And it continues to capture the attention of the world. It’s only about time now to rejuvenate the past grandeurs with replenished vitality.
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