The 12th edition of World Sacred Spirit Festival (WSSF), organised recently by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust at the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, felt like a solemnly composed tapestry of chords and colours presented with passionate power and appeal. More than 150 artists from eleven countries performed at this three-day festival of sacred music, held across seven different venues in and outside of the expansive fort, creating a perfect ambience and positive aura for the specific genre being presented.
The WSSF reached its tranquil climax with the mystic poetry and the mesmerising music in the soul-stirring earthy voice of Sawan Khan Manganiyar and group, accompanied by an equally famous Ghevar Khan on kamaicha, the stringed folk instrument of Rajasthan that sounds like a sonorous sarangi. The majestic backdrop of the marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II added a sense of piety to the Sufi poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah, Shah Lateef and Kabir, performed passionately by Sawan Khan Manganiyar as the first rays of the morning sun shone at the marble dome.
Absorbed in music
There was yet another dimension of spirituality disclosed in the sudden awareness of the polarity between the musical values of the city dweller musician and these gifted innocent musicians from the Thar desert possess. This contrast revealed itself when one spotted the famous Anwar Khan Manganiyar absorbed in music sitting in rapt attention on the grass far away from the elegant seating arrangements of mattresses covered with white sheets and the rows of comfortable chairs. When one reached this unassuming artist who has been honoured with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award this year , he very politely declined a request for interview with a request to keep the talking for later and just listen to the beautiful music and the elevating poetry for now.
Anwar Khan informed that Sawan Khan has learnt Sindhi Sufi Gayaki under Ustad Theeke Khan, now in Pakistan and that not only the vocalist but also Ghevar Khan, the kamaicha player was a very talented artiste. He also kept sharing the story of ‘Umar Marvi’ (like ‘Heer-Ranjha’) being sung by Sawan Khan and the meaning of the Sindhi Sufi poetry being sung, interspersing it with repeated ‘waahs’ for the performing artists. This was the most unexpected and pleasant surprise for one, who is used to the mutual jealousy and back biting in the urban musical scenario.
The WSSF had opened with sacred music from Rajasthan presented by Barkat and Jalal Khan at the Jaswant Thada followed by Darbari qawwali by Andaz brothers. The Bagpipe band ‘Rudra’ from Scotland gelled well with Sharwan Kumar from Rajasthan. The foreign musicians were amazed by the impromptu improvisations of the local artists and wondered if music runs in their veins!
The evening concert at the Zenani Deodhi showcased ‘Violins of the World’, where French multi-instrumentalist and music composer Mathias Duplessy collaborated with Guo Gun playing erhu (a two-stringed Chinese fiddle), Aliocha Regnard on Nykhe-Harpa, a Swedish chordophone and Nara Kargyraa on morin khuur (Mongolian horsehead fiddle) creating magic. The song of the horse rider, who goes in search of peace inspired by a kung fu master, sounded very much like the Indian raga Bhupali. The acoustic guitar took care of the rhythmic aspect whereas others played the moving melody. They were joined later by Sabir Khan on sarangi. The last piece ‘crazy horse’ reached them all to a charismatic crescendo.
The night programme primed with the Sufi Rang of Madan Gopal Singh and his Char Yaar ensemble joined by the Manganiyar artistes like Talab Khan, Ghevar Khan, Feroz Khan and Ghazi Khan with their lively folk singing, kamaicha, dholak and khartal respectively.
Haunting melodies
The French clarinet player Yom Guillaume Humery, who played in the Klezmer musical tradition of Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe next morning; performed haunting melodies like the Kurdish prayer for the dead. A traditional Rajasthani folk trio followed them with the Algoza ensemble, led by Habib Khan, a senior algoza player, who plays this ancient double flute wind instrument with remarkable expertise. Finally, both the groups came together with their wind instruments lending a unique flavour to their collaborative endeavour.
Giving a new perspective to the music from Turkey; the Telli Turnalar, an all women Band named ‘Saz’, rendered Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian music with the instrument saz, traditionally used in the spiritual music of the region.
The Raitila (from ret or sand) brought perhaps for the first time, performers from Manganiyar and Langa communities of Rajasthan together on one stage, singing songs from seasons to Sufism. The inebriating mix of rhythm and melodies in Sarang, Malhar, Maand and Des, enhanced by the lively ensemble comprising khartal, kamaicha, Sindhi sarangi, morsang and the vibrant vocals made many from the audience dance to the irresistible music, more so when they were joined by the Spanish flamenco guitarist Jackson Scot and Pablo Dominguez on cajon, the percussion instrument.
The Lakeside Raga presented by a young khayal singer of Patiala gharana, Mohammad Aman from Jaipur, was an impressive surprise for the classical music lovers. Accompanied on harmonium by his guru and father Zafar Muhammed, on tabla by Zakir and on sarangi by Muzaffar Khan, he presented the vilambit bada khayal and another Teentala composition in raga Madhuvanti, a Sandhi-Prakash raga, perfectly appropriate for the dusk time. Both khayals in Madhuvanti and the following Tarana in raga Yaman were rendered with remarkable mastery over the challenging gayaki.
Sitar and singing by Ud. Shujaat Khan kept the mood light with the melodic presentation of poetry by Sufi saints, appropriately concluding with the ghazal “Tumhare shaher ka mausam bada suhana lage.”