The Jaipur Virasat Foundation has discovered and presented over 100 women folk artistes at Jodhpur RIFF in the last few years who were previously confined to their cultural boundaries. Many of them such as Bhanwari Devi, Sumitra Das Goswami, Jamuna and Mali Devi regularly feature in prestigious international music fests. Karan Bhardwaj tells you how consistent efforts have resulted in strengthening women power in the desert
Among several other women who regaled the audience at just-concluded Jodhpur’s Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) with their exemplary folk performances, we found Sumitra Das Goswami arguably the most striking one. She’s fondly called the lata Mangeshkar of RIFF. She first performed here in 2007 and has never looked back. Over the years, she has gone for over forty international concerts and features regularly at Indian music festivals. Her maiden international collaboration remains with Dutch jazz saxophonist Yuri Honing in 2008 which earned her a loyal fan base. Born in Jaitaran in Pali district of Rajasthan, Sumitra has been the front-runner of the Kamad community.
However, all of this makes less sense to her own people. Set her laurels aside, not many people look forward to even see her in her community. In fact, she was boycotted by most of the villagers when she first started singing in public. It’s her guts and sheer passion for music that always encouraged her. “I started learning music under the tutelage of my father Baba Sajan Das who first acknowledged my voice. He always supported me. However, my uncles didn’t approve of it. So they broke ties. Similarly, a lot of people didn’t appreciate my singing. But that only made me stronger,” she says wearing a brave smile as we meet her backstage after her performance. She has just relived her collaboration with Honing on stage which got her a standing ovation.
Today, Sumitra is one among a handful of women who are acting as agents of change in her community. The immediate result of her crusade was seen in her own house. Her sister-in-law Meena, who was “not expected” to go out and perform, started touring with Sumitra. Across the folk wavelength in Rajasthan, most female performers are either discouraged or not allowed to perform in public. “It’s true that women performers are not seen in good light in the state. Historically, this might have to do something with their presentation in courts of the Maharajas. There has been a discriminating environment since then,” says Vinod Joshi, community director at Jaipur Virasat Foundation, an organisation behind RIFF.
In Kalbelia community, known as snake charmers, there are less singers and even lesser female voices. Sugna Kalbelia, a rarity in that sense, is a staunch believer of women rights and has defied all kinds of obstructions. When we meet her backstage after her performance, where she was joined by her sister-in-law, she shocks as well as inspire us in equal measure. “like many others in my community, I cannot make a living out of begging. I have got a good voice and thankfully people are paying to listen,” she says. Sugna charges Rs10,000 for a show and manages to clinch over 20 shows every year. Despite the traditional taboos and age-old restrictions, women like Sugna are gradually coming out of their bondages. Platforms like RIFF have proved to be catalyst in this change. They have not only provided these women a platform but also fostered the idea of women empowerment among folk artistes. In the last few years, over 100 women artistes have showcased their talent at RIFF.
HOW IT BEGAN
Rukma Bai, a legendary figure from the Manganiyar community happened to be the first woman who started singing in public. Despite the politics of opposition within her family, in-laws and community members, she acknowledged her talent and crushed the stereotypes by making frequent appearances at reputed international platforms. “She was handicapped from the legs and after she got married, she was almost abandoned. So she started singing bhajans in temples. Her voice was so mesmerising that she fetched patronage from the Rajputs. She used to sing chirja (devotional music) of Rani Bhatiyani. Finally she arrived on stage and went on winning several awards,” informs Joshi. Though Rukma died sometime back in her 50s, she became a role model to several other women, including her own sister Akla, who managed to come up front. “Traditionally Manganiyar do not let their women perform outside their periphery. However , things are gradually changing now. After Rukma, several voices like Dariya Bai began to earn fame. In fact, Rukma inspired many foreign artistes who took her on global tours,” he says. Thanks to that legendary woman, RIFF coordinators now get “secret calls” from women musicians who want to be part of the change.
ROlE OF WOMEN
Down the ages, women have played the role of star makers. Men who become the head-turners on stage have been groomed by women back home. Veteran folk artiste Ghazi Khan, famous for creating Nimbooda song (which also featured in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) acknowledges that most of his talent is inherited by women. “I was trained by female members of my community,” he tells us. As a good observant, he adopted those vocals and now utilise them in his performances. “Even in communities like langa and Manganiyar, which is known for its terrific male performers, women are part of the males’ training process. In the past, female artistes used to perform to entertain women of the patron communities. There’s a tradition in Rajasthan’s Bhopa Bhopi, where the husband and wife both perform. It’s the woman who carries the story forward while the man is a prompter. We are just trying to revalidate what these musicians have,” says Divya Bhatia, director of RIFF.
MAGIC IN HER VOICE
One of the best-known folk singers among women is Bhanwari Devi. She shot to fame after she sang Kattey song with Hard Kaur and Ram Sampath at MTV Coke Studio. Always singing from behind the veil, she has been a regular feature at RIFF and many other music festivals. She charges as high as Rs21,000 per performance and above, depending on the scale of event and the distance her group has to cover. last year, she collaborated with musical group Gypsy All Stars here. “I happened to be a fortunate kid. My father-singer, Dana Khan, encouraged me and I used to perform with him on his tours. It’s unbelievable to receive so much of admiration and love,” she tells us.
Bhanwari, who is mostly accompanied by her 25 years old son Krishna Kumar, has six sons and three daughters. My three sons are learning singing while daughters got married. “Their in-laws are not encouraging. So I don’t force anybody to take this legacy forward,” she laments. Bhanwari’s discovery is as thrilling as her voice. When John Singh (founder of JVF) and Vinod Joshi first heard Bhanwari, they knew they had got a rockstar. “In 2003, we had arranged a small festival in Shimla, some 300 kms away from Jaipur. I still remember we had goosebumps when she came on stage. A lot of people in the audience were in tears. She didn’t show her face but we knew that we had got a gem in her voice,” says Joshi. Since then, Bhanwari has collaborated with the likes of Sona Mohapatra, Rekha Bhardwaj and others. In fact, Rekha took her to many of her own concerts.
Over the years, JVF has discovered many such talented women such as Raju from Bhopa Bhopi community, Roshni, Jamuna and Mali Devi from Nayak community.
