MUMBAI: Jodhpur RIFF 2024 kicks off with a promising spread, encompassing the indigenous and traditional as well as the global and contemporary and, on occasion, a stunning blend of the two.

There was magic in the air once again, at Jodhpur RIFF, as the moon sailed across the sky above Mehrangarh Fort, playing host to an amazing line-up of some of the world’s most spectacular roots musicians. Audiences experienced a fusion of the most authentic indigenous sounds, from across the world, India and Rajasthan, evolved and presented with contemporary flourish and flair. Congolese drumming, Sámi Yoik, percussion from Azerbaijan, the hiiu kannel from Estonia, a multi-instrumentalist from Mauritius, Rajasthani folk’s living legend, the Manganiyars from Marwar, a Hindustani classical master paying an ode to Amir Khusrau, the khartal, the dholak, the brass band and the agni bhawai, Kalbeliya vocalists and Langa Sufis, and more, each found a spotlight from where they could dazzle audiences on the 16th and 17th of October at Jodhpur RIFF 2024.

The festival kicked off on cue with the Bal Mela on the 16th of October: a free five hour fun fest meant only for school children, with a dizzying smorgasbord of Rajasthani folk which exposed them to Indian roots culture, while entertaining them and raising the level of awareness in the next generation. The buffet this year comprised traditional puppetry, ghoomer (whirling) dancers, kachchi ghodi (dummy horse dancing in the most vibrant colours), young Langa musicians, talented bhapang players, terah thaali dancers (with thirteen cymbals fastened to different parts of their bodies), Bahrupiya performers (quintessential con artists), Khari dance (revolving around a husband, wife and a wooden basket carved out of Tun wood) and a refreshingly charming Rajasthani circus.

On the evening of the 16th October Jodhpur RIFF greeted the citizens of Jodhpur with the opening City Concert, a free ‘appetiser’ for the festival that it puts up every year, outside Jaswant Thada. Audiences tasted a sampling of Jodhpur RIFF 2024, which was composed of notes ranging from powerful vocals by Ganga and Sundar to a double act by revolutionary Estonian band Puuluup; from award-winning Norwegian band Gabba and Emlyn — the Mauritian multi-instrumentalist who has invented some of her own instruments from up-cycled materials — to Khartal and Dolak masters from the Manganiyar community, young Langa musicians, Bhapang musicians, legendary ghatam exponent Giridhar Udupa and Azerbaijan’s Natig Shirinov Rhythm Group. The evening climaxed with the legendary Kawa Brass Band, folk dancer Ashok Pahadiya, Shekhawati’s algoza party, astounding fire-eating agni bhawai and the dhol drummers of Rajasthan beating time into a beautiful frenzy.

On the 17th of October, the first Jodhpur RIFF dawn was ushered in by the hypnotic nirguni poetry of the Meghwals of Marwar, accompanied by tandura, manjira and dholak, and followed by the soulful bhajans of Manganiyars Barkat and Jalal Khan. This extraordinary awakening of the senses was followed by ‘Why I do what I do’, as a part of Jodhpur RIFF’s interactive series ‘In Residence’ at Chokelao Bagh: a poignant and rare theatre/ music interaction woven together by artistic director Supriya and filmmaker Suruchi Sharma out of the personal stories, songs and poetry of five women performers from different age groups and different artistic traditions of Rajasthan— Maewa Sapera, Mamta Sapera, Prem Dangi, Hanifa Manganiyar and Kamla Bhatt.

The evening of the 17th of October began with a rare living legend at Mehrangarh Fort’s Chokelao Bagh. For, Meherdeen Khan Langa is a 65 year old virtuoso known for his mastery over both the Sindhi Sarangi — traditionally played by the Sarangiya Langa community to which he belongs — and the Algoza, a wind instrument of the Surnaiya Langa tradition. Audiences were as wowed by Meherdeen, who has come out of semi-retirement to perform, and his son Koju Khan, as they were by the tribute paid to the legend by younger masters of the Sindhi Sarangi and Algoza— Langas Eklash Khan and Idu Khan, respectively.

Audiences then walked to the Zenana Courtyard where they witnessed the grandeur of the Manganiyar of Marwar, an annual special performance honouring the late Padma Shri Sakhar Khan Manganiyar, with maestros Barkat Khan (Chattangarh), Barkat Khan (Myajlar), Hakim Khan (Kisola) and Multan Khan (Dedariya) singing songs of the Manganiyar community which are hardly ever heard nowadays, accompanied by Sakhar Khan’s sons Ghevar and Darre Khan on kamaicha, their brother Firoze Khan on the dholak and cousin Devu Khan on the khartal. If this act was mesmerising, the next one had audiences on their feet and swaying, with Congolese master drummer Elli Miller Maboungou bringing them the rich heritage of Congolese percussion, with a contemporary twist, and the beginnings of a remarkable collaboration with Firoze. This was followed, befittingly, by an interlude of Rajasthani percussion: Devu Khan leading some of the state’s best young Manganiyar khartal players, to tremendous applause.

And what better to set the stage for Gabba, the Spellemannprisen award (likened to a Norwegian Grammy) winning band which fuses ‘yoik’ — the ancient, sacred and enigmatic musical tradition of the Sámi speaking indigenous peoples, rendered vocally with little or no lyrics — with contemporary influences from Norwegian folk, Americana, and world music. The last act at the venue, transporting audiences from the otherworldly Sámi spiritual realm to the Sufi one, was Barnali Chattopadhyay — well known for her rendition of the Banarsi maand and thumris, and in the popular sphere, for her well received contribution to Sanja Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi — who performed an ode to Amir Khusrau, Indo-Persian poet, singer, composer and writer, known for his commitment to music, Sufi, qawwali and the spiritual life in the court of Nizammuddin Auliya of Delhi who is held by many to be the ‘father of Urdu literature’ and ‘the voice of India’. Her performance was met with many persistent demands for encores.

As the night went on, audiences moved to the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park and with the Mehrangarh Fort as backdrop, an all acoustic Desert Lounge featured younger and senior vocalists from the Kalbeliya community, led by Mohini Devi, emerging Manganiyar groups from across the state of Rajasthan, led by Sawai Khan (Keraliya) and Langa Sufi singers from Marwar, led by Bundu Khan Langa. The lounge also included performances by Sardar Khan Langa, on the Sindhi sarangi, and his son, as well as Kachra Khan Langa and his group.

Some audience members came prepared to spend all night in the premises of the fort, from moonrise to sunrise, when they advanced directly towards Jaswant Thada for Jodhpur RIFF’s next dawn concert.