About The performer
Conceived in Jodhpur, Rajasthan 2007 by Nitin Nath Harsh a folklore promoter of Rajasthan. Nitin is working with over hundred of folk artists of Rajasthan from last 7 years. Nitin began his career in the folklore of Rajasthan with legendry folklorist Late Padam Bhushan Komal Kothari.
RHYTHM OF RAJASTHAN is composed of groups of musicians and dancer of western Rajasthan. The group has the mixture of traditional hereditary caste musicians of Langa and Manganiar community as well as the dancer from Kalbelia community. The Rhythm of Rajasthan is the idea to create the exciting fusion of Traditional rhythms and melodies of these communities. The Langas and Manganiars are groups of hereditary professional musicians, whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. Both sing in the same dialect, but their styles and repertoires differ, shaped by the tastes of their patrons. The Manganiar has the patron from the Rajput community mainly Rathore and Bhati Rajput, and in the other hand the Langa has the patron from the Sindi Sipahi community of Western Rajasthan.
Though both communities are made up of Muslim musicians, many of their songs are in praise of Hindu deities and celebrate Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi. The Manganiar performers traditionally invoke the Hindu God Krishna and seek his blessings before beginning their recital.
Langa literally means 'song giver'. An accomplished group of poets, singers, and musicians from the Barmer district of Rajasthan, the Langas seem to have converted from Hinduism to Islam in the 17th century. Traditionally, Sufi influences prevented them from using percussion instruments, however, the Langas are versatile players of the Sindhi Sarangi and the Algoza (double flute), which accompany and echo their formidable and magical voices. They perform at events like births, and weddings, exclusively for their patrons (Yajman), who are cattle breeders, farmers, and landowners. The Langa musicians are regarded by their patrons as 'kings'.
The 'Sindhi Sarangi' used by the Langas, is made up of four main wires, with more than twenty vibrating sympathetic strings which help to create its distinctive haunting tones. The bowing of these instruments is a skilful exercise, often supported by the sound of the 'ghungroos' or ankle bells that are tied to the bow to make the beat more prominent.
Manganiar plays the remarkable bowed instrument is the 'kamayacha', with its big, circular resonator, giving out an impressive deep, booming sound. The music of Rajasthan is driven by pulsating rhythms created by an array of percussion instruments, the most popular of them being the 'dholak', a double headed barrel drum, whose repertoire has influenced other Indian drums including the tabla. This recording also features the double flute, 'satara' , and the hypnotic Jewish harp or 'morchang'
Members of Group
1. Kachra Khan Manganiar (Singer)
2. Faqir Khan Manganiar (Percussionist + Singer)
3. Habib Khan Langa (Instrumentalist- String + Wind)
4. Jaipu Khan Langa (Percussionist + Singer)
5. Sesh Nath (Instrumentalist- Wind)
6. Suva Devi (Dancer)
7. Nitin Nath Harsh(Group Manager)
Before join the group “Rhythm of Rajasthan” all the members were vastly experience in performing all over the world. All the group members worked with many musicians and gained the remarkable experience in their profile.
The group first came in existing at the Jodhpur when they had a concert for the Foundation day of Jodhpur organized by the Mehrangarh Musuem Trust and the Swar Sudha (a leading organization in music).
After their first group performance, Rhythm of Rajasthan continually performed in the national lavel in India. In October 2007, the group did a fusion with a Dutch band called TARHANA, who was on tour for Rajasthan to participate in the First Rajasthan International Folk Festival. The fusion was quite successful, and in continue the group went to Amsterdam in November 2008. The group performed in the India Festival organized by the Concertgebouw.
Recently the group participated in the 2nd International Sufi Music Festival at Amman, Jordan organized by the Ministry of Culture and Jordan Music Forum. The Prince of Jordan His Majesty Hassan Talal honored the group in the closing ceremony of the Festival.
Kachra Khan is one of the most renowned traditional singers of the Managniar community of western Rajasthan. The Manganiar is the largest heredity musician caste whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. Kachra Khan was born in Khanayani Village, in the Barmer district of Western Rajasthan. He is now 47 years old yet his voice thrills world music audiences in every part of world. He learned from his father and started singing from a very early age. He sings a variety of songs related to local folklore as well as the sufi repertoire of Rajasthan. He also sings “Sufi Kalams” of famous sufi poets of the Sindh Area. He is a master of “Dohas and Allap” (High Pitch Recitation). He sings hundreds of traditional Rajasthani songs with themes around weddings, child birth, love and bravery.
Habib Khan Langa is a multi instrumentalist from the Langa community of western Rajasthan. Langa is the Second largest heredity musician caste whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. He was born in the Jodhpur district of Western Rajasthan. Habib Khan is now 47 years old and has travelled extensively. He learned from his father and started playing with the other musicians from a very early age. He plays a string and bowed instrument called Sindhi Sarangi. Sindhi Sarangi belongs to the professional caste of musicians known as “Langas”. They are playing this instrument for centuries for patrons like the “Sindhi Sipahis”. Habib also plays two wind instruments called the Algoja, a ?, and Morchang, a jaw harp.
Jaipu Khan Langa is one of the most renowned percussionists of the Langa community of western Rajasthan. The Langa is the second largest heredity musician caste whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. He was born in Jodhpur district of Western Rajasthan. Jaipur Khan is now 42 years old and his music has been thrilling world music audiences all over the world. He learned from his father and started playing with the other musicians from a very early age. He plays a very popular north Indian double headed drum called the “Dholak”. Mr. Jaipu also sings very well. He sings traditional folk songs related to child birth, marriage, war and love songs. He is exceptionally well at singing in a high pitch.
Faqir Khan is one of the most renowned percussionists of the Managniar community of western Rajasthan. The Manganiar is the largest heredity musician caste whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations. Faqir Khan was born in Bishala Village, Barmer district of Western Rajasthan. He is now 35 years old and has performed in every part of world. He learned from his father and started playing with the other musicians from a very early age. He plays the notable percussion instrument called the “Khartaal” similar to castanets, made of teak wood.
Sesh Nath is an excellent wind instrument player. He plays various types of wind instruments and expert of pungi, a snake charmer's instrument of the Kalbelia community. He plays mostly for dance performances or solos. He learned music from his father and Guru Mev Nath. Sesh Nath plays various types of dhuns (folk melodies) especially for dance. His wife Suva Devi is one of the most renowned kalbelia dancers. They have performed together worldwide. Sesh Nath belongs to the Kalbelia community. Kalbeliya is a nomadic community who sometimes introduce themselves as Naath, Jogi, Sapere or Sadhu. Their family business is to catch snakes. They catch snakes by enchanting them with their pungi.
Suva Devi is one of the leading names of Kabelia dancing from western Rajasthan. She also does the bhavai dance, which is ?. Suva Devi is 35 year old and holds audeiences spellbound. She started performing when she was 12 year old. She appears in the BAFTA AWARD winning documentary film on Gypsies called “Latcho Drom”. Her husband Sesh Nath plays the pungi. From Australia to America, she has had hundreds of performances all over the world. She belongs to the Kalbeliya, a nomadic community who sometimes introduce themselves as Naath, Jogi, Sapere or Sadhu. Their family business is to catch snakes. The pungi is a special instrument of the Kalbeliya community.