Finding out rare folk instruments and the tribes who play them was the core of the interactive session at RIFF. By Jigyasu Joshi
Gathered at the Chokelao Bagh under a large tent, people were carefully listening to what Dr. Vijay Verma was telling them about the rare and fast disappearing instruments of Rajasthan in a focused session at the RIFF on the aero-phonic instruments of Rajasthan. Verma along with the artists of the instruments like murla, algoza, been, narh, surnai and many others, demonstrated the instruments through their physical descriptions and performances as the audiences looked amazed at the structure of some of these instruments and the different sounds they could produce.
Explaining about the instruments, Verma said, "It is a sad fact that the folk instruments are vanishing rapidly. Origin of some of the instruments goes back to 300 years and today there are very few people who are still holding on to those instruments." Travelling to the depths of Rajasthan, Bhagwandas Solanki, was responsible for finding out rare folk instruments and tribes who play them. "It is not easy to travel far inside the villages that are not even on the map and find out some roots of folk music and culture. But once we find it, it is very important to tell people about these instruments so that they can think about it and work for it," he said.
An artiste from the tribal community of Mewat was feeling little shy about playing the sound from his folk instrument fearing it might not feel melodious to all. The instrument he represented was made out of bamboo wood with Buffalo horn attached to the end - which acted as a sound enhancer. The bass sound at first felt heavy but gradually turned melodious. Calling these instruments ingenious, Dr. Verma said, "lok music is something magical. It is not about what sound is coming of the instrument. It is more about how by using things around us, people create not just sound but music. This is magic for me."
Pempa Khan Manganiyar, who played and represented surnai and murli believes that with collective efforts, it is possible to save the dying art and instruments. "One interesting thing about these instruments is that they are made at home by the people who plays them. So there is bond between the instrument and the player since the very beginning. I think that is the reason why these instruments are still surviving," said Pempa.