THE WORKSHOP

On the day before his workshop on rare musical instruments of Rajasthan, Dr. Vijay Verma, an expert on folk traditions, is seated on a plastic chair under a makeshift canopy at Jodhpur’s Marwar Rajput Sabha Bhawan. An all-male group of over 20 folk musicians sit around him, on a large green cloth spread out on the ground, each patiently waiting his turn. The musicians are here to perform at Jodhpur Riff. Verma’s assistant, seated next to him, makes notes as Verma asks each musician the name of his instrument, how it was made and how it is played. The assistant notes their answers down on writing pads that have been stacked neatly on a table, next to a small audio recorder. After each exchange, Verma presses the record button and asks the musician to play something. After recording for almost a minute he stops and calls for the next musician. Verma has been doing this for the past two days. He is still worried that he may not be able to document all the folk instruments that are at the festival.

Interested in the folk arts and culture since his youth, Verma taught history at a university for two years before joining the Indian Administrative Service. He kept up with his subject of interest and continues to pursue it after retirement. He feels a change in lifestyle may be the reason for the survival of several folk instruments being jeopardized. “The traditional audience, the traditional patrons and the performers, formed a complete matrix which nourished our traditional folk arts,” he says. “This matrix is at danger.” The primary reason for this, he says, is an urban disconnect with folk music. “The patrons may not be continuing to take interest,” he says. “The audience may not be as aware of what’s taking place as audiences were before— that this is from this region, this is this instrument, this is this story. They may just be out for a good time. The patrons and the audience determine, ultimately, the kind of performance. If these two are lacking in any way then the performance will also deteriorate.”

Backed by tourism, says Verma, folk music nowadays caters to entertainment and applause in the hope of securing a future for itself. “But showmanship is alien to folk art,” he says. “Showmanship and entertainment are taking over now whereas earlier folk music was a part of life. So, in a way, society, at large, is speaking through the performer.”

Nevertheless, the workshop titled ‘The Rare Instruments of Rajasthan’, which takes place at the Chokelao Bagh of the Mehrangarh Fort at 11 am, on October 18, is well attended. A large canopy has been set up, offering the participants as well as the attendees a welcome respite from the heat. The audience sits cross-legged on white mattresses with large bolsters that have been laid out on lush lawns. Verma, for the most part, avoids using the traditional names of the instruments, referring to them instead by their generic musical classifications, for a wider and more instant connect. He introduces instruments as “aerophonic” or “string” or “zither” or “percussive”.

Among the many unusual instruments being showcased is the mashak, or the Indian bagpipe— an aerophonic instrument made of goat’s hide. The musician first blows into the bag, whichcreates a reservoir of air in a large bladder. This relieves him of having to continually blow into the bag while playing it. The mashak has two bamboo pipes— one through which air is blown in and a second pipe which has holes in it, through which the air flows out. This second one with holes contains two single reeds within, that vibrate against the edge of the pipe as air passes through. One of these reeds produces a drone, the other a harmony. The mashak is played by placing the fingers over the

holes of this second pipe as the air exits. The tone of the mashak may be altered by pressing on the bladder with the elbow. The fact that they don’t have to blow into the instrument while playing it enables the Jogis to sing while playing the mashak. The Jogis are a religious and musical community of storytellers who sing mostly about Bhairavji, a deity they worship who is an avatar of Shiva. Here, in the middle of a song, a Jogi begins to blow into the mashak to refill it. “Observe how and when he blows in,” says Verma. “It has to be in rhythm with the music.” Verma elaborates on the storytelling, the dances and other performances that accompany the playing of the instruments he showcases, for context.

The workshop includes a small performance that demonstrates the Bhopa-Bhopi tradition of storytelling. The performance involves a painted ballad, a large colourful piece of cloth which illustrates the story being recited. It also involves a couple— literally, the Bhopa, or the husband and the Bhopi, or the wife. The Bhopi’s head and face is covered by her veil as she stands, along with the Bhopa, and sings. The Bhopas use a rawanhathha, a rudimentary lute like instrument which may be seen as a sort of precursor to the violin. The Bhopa and the Bhopi take turns singing. They are singing of Pabuji, a folk deity and hero. The lyrics recount the story of how Pabuji borrowed a mare from a woman for his marriage. He had pledged that he would protect the woman, if the need arose. At Pabuji’s marriage ceremony, during the saatphere (the final rites), the owner of the horse appeared, claiming the general Khichi had stolen her cattle. Pabuji left his wedding to pursue Khichi and retrieve them.

Throughout the session, Verma interjects to explain every aspect of the performance, down to the significance of the clothes worn by the performers. The workshop proceeds to examine an aerophonic instrument called a narh. When played, it produces a drone. Verma explains how this seemingly monotonous sound actually blends in perfectly with bait, a kind of poetry. The bait is known to be sung by one singer, to the accompaniment of the narh, as a caravan travels though the desert at night. The stories and situations these instruments and their music evoke seem alien to begin with, but one is gradually drawn to them because they are our only window into another world. A world we are leaving behind all too quickly.

“The only hope,” concludes Verma. “Is to incorporate as much of the folk bequest into the web of life with as little loss of its nuance, spontaneity and vitality as possible.”

CURRICULUM - VITAE

Born : 5th October, 1935

Post-graduation in Modern History, Allahabad University, 1957. First Division and first position among students of Modern History.

Chancellor’s Gold Medal, Allahabad University, 1956, for being Best All-round Student of the year.

Taught History in Gorakhpur and Saugor Universities, 1958-60.

Got selected for Indian Administrative Service in 1960.

Served Governments of India and Rajasthan for 33 years in various capacities including as Dy. Secy. General Administrative Dept. and Cabinet, Tribal Area Development Commissioner, Desert Development Commissioner, Director Census Operations, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest & Environment, Secretary to C.M. Rajasthan.

Built up the Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur – that premier multi-art centre of North India – as its first Director General (1989-92).

Has combined a life-time of work in the fields of art and literature with his administrative career.

Award from Government of Rajasthan in 1981 for ‘meritorious work in writing the three volumes in prose and poetry which have been assessed to be of very high literary merit.’

Dr. Devraj Upadhyaya Prize for 1985-86 by the State Akademi of Literature.

Learnt classical North Indian music at Music College, Ajmer.

Lyric-writing and composing. Approved lyricist for All-India Radio since 1969.

More than four decades of broadcasting and telecasting.

Member, Audition Committees for light, classical and folk music, All-India Radio, Jaipur. Member, Music Audition Board, Prasara Bharati, New Delhi, 1999 and 2002 and Member of Jury for Judging Prasara Bharati’s All-India Competition for Akashavani Annual Awards, 1999, held in Feb, 2000.

One of the richest personal collections of music in India.

Wide-ranging aural and photographic documentation of folk music of Rajasthan over more than four decades.

Received Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi’s First award for Kala Samagra Yogadana (Overall Contribution to Art), 2002, Raja Kakil Dev Award 2007 from Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, Jaipur, for contribution to the preservation of Architectural Heritage, Padmashri Komal Kothari All-India Marwar-Ratna Award 2013 from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur, for research and achievements in the field of Rajasthani folklore. Delivered talks for the Jaipur

Literature Festival, 2010, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi’s, Mand-Mahotsava, Jaipur, 2012 and the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) Jodhpur, 2013 and 2014.

Worked as examiner for Universities of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh for judging doctoral theses on Folk Dances of Rajasthan, Folk Music of Solan District and Folk Music of Shimla District.

Member, Programme Committee, North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala. Member, Programme Advisory Committee, AIR, Jaipur.

Longstanding work in the field of Indian Temple Art and Architecture. Chairman, Expert Committee for restoration of the temples of the Devasthan Department, Rajasthan.

Large and varied collection of transparencies used, inter alia, for developing a series of audio-visual talks.

Lecture-tour of Czechoslovakia and (the then) East Germany, 1977.

Audio-visual talks delivered include those for the working Group on Resource Management in Dry Lands, New Delhi, March, 1983, East-West Centre, Hawai, in 1984 and 1989, University of Quebec, Canada, 1986, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, 1986, ESCAP, Bangkok, 1987 and the two International, Interdisciplinary Seminars of Rajasthan, Jaipur, December, 1987 and Udaipur, December, 1991.

Delivered the First Rai Krishna Das Memorial Lecture at Varanasi on the 7th of Nov., 2002, on the Folk Traditions of Rajasthan. Delivered a special talk in the Jnana Pravaha, Varanasi regarding the temple architecture of Rajasthan on the 8th of Nov., 2002.

Publications :

1. ‘The Living Music of Rajasthan’, with foreword by the then P.M. Hon’ Rajeev Gandhi.

2. ‘Sarokaron Ke Rang’ (Hindi), collection of essays and talks.

3. ‘Dard Bhale Ho Jaaye Kitna’ (Hindi), lyrics.

4. ‘The Civil Registration Systems of India’ (on diskette), East-West Centre, Hawai.

5. ‘The performing Arts of Rajasthan’.

6. ‘Hindi Film-Sangeet : Simhavalokana’.

7. ‘Beḍi ki Jhankar : Gulami ke Daur ke Azad Tarane’, patriotic Hindi film-songs.

8. Many brochures and articles published in journals like ‘The Researcher’, ‘The India Magazine’, ‘Madai’, ‘Natrang’, ‘Madhumati’, ‘Kala Prayojana’, ‘Sangeet-Natak’, ‘Rangayana’ and ‘Atithi’.