|
Music
Diversity in Rajasthani music, which comes
from a tradition that is old and
undisturbed, and from a culture that has
imbibed the best from its neighboring states
of Sindh, Gujarat, Malwa, Mewar, Haryana and
Punjab. Music, which is rich, evocative,
heroic, plaintive and joyful, governs all
aspects of Rajasthani lives.
Musical Instruments
The Stringed Instrument
The Sarangi
is the most
important folk musical
instrument and is found in various forms in
Rajasthan. The rawanhatha of the
Thori or nayak bhopas is probably the
earliest instrument played with a bow, and
this humble instrument could well be the
precursor of the violin. It has two
main strings and a variable number of
supporting strings, with a belly of half a
coconut shell and a body of bamboo. The bow
has ghungroos (bells) attached to it. The
music is staccato and accompanied by the
syncopated singing of the Bhopa and the
Bhopan. No other rhythmic support is needed.
Percussion
Different kinds of drums form this
group of musical instruments. They are of
various kinds: the two sided ones, the
single sided drums, and the shallow rimmed
and single faced. The twin-faced drums
include the tiny damru or dugugi of
the Kalbelia and the madari (juggler)
and the ubiquitous dhol from which
the dholi derives his caste name. The
Bhis use the maadal; a folk version of 'moisang'
that has a hob of baked clay and gives a
booming sound.
Folk Dances
Dance is an expression of human emotion as
much as music and it is found in almost
limitless variations in Rajasthan, Simple
unsophisticated, dancing is seen in their
fairs and festivals in the kudakan of
the Meena boys, the dancing which goes with
the Raisiya songs of Braj, and the
dancing by women and men where the women
carry a pot or a lighted lamp on their head.
In the charkula dance of Braj, an
elaborate lamp stand replaces the single
lamp. The famous Ghoomar, Rajasthan's
popular dance gets its name from ghoomna
the pirouetting which displays the
spectacular colors of the flowing ghaghra,
the long skirt of the Rajasthani women. Men
have a range of their own more vigorous
dances.
Tribal Music &
Dances
Music and dances are such an
essential part of Tribal life that
professional musicians and dancers are in
abundance. The Garasia tribal
inhabit the Abu Road and Pindwara Tehsils of
Sirohi district and the neighboring
territories of Kotra, Gogunda and Kherwara
Tehsils of Udaipur district, Bali and Desuri
of Pali district. They have a folk dance
enriched with folktales, proverbs riddles
and folk music. Walar is an important dance
of the Garasias which is a prototype
of Ghoomar dance. Their dance are generally
accompanied by the beats of the mandal,
chang and variety of other musical
instruments which provide a lively rhythm to
their dance sequence.
Vibrant, vigorous, graceful, sinuous,
plaintive and martial, the dance and music
of Rajasthan evoke the desert in all moods.
It is the most lilting tribute to the
spectacular beauty, the undulating
sinuousness and the brutal harshness of the
landscapes, and to the hardiness and heroism
of the people who live in this land of the
Kings and Queens.
|
