During my recent tour of Rajasthan, I came across several performers who faced wind, cold, scorching sun, dust, and neglect but stood their ground firmly performing various musical instruments and occasionally singing.
I could not help but spend some time listening to the music and talk to them and take some photos and videos. Here’s in retrospect.
Ravan-Hatha
This is a string instrument like a violin and called Ravan-Hatha. It was played by a senior citizen in the Jaisalmer Fort that I listened to for a while and ultimately could not resist trying hands-on. The performer was more than glad to help me hold the Ravan-Hatha with instructions on how to play the strings.
Here’s the artist playing the Ravanhatha
This is a close-up view of the musical instrument.
Harmonium
This is a commonly played musical instrument across Rajasthan and this performer was a young singer from the famous Manganiyar clan that I met outside the Junagarh fort in Bikaner. His parents and uncles are national award winners and Padmasree awardees and belong to an affluent family but play on the streets to raise awareness and keep alive the tradition. He was paid by the tourism department of Rajasthan on an hourly basis.
Dholak
This is a drum that is bulging in the center and tapering from both sides ending in the small circular leather cover that is tapped to create the sound. I met this senior fellow beside the Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer.
Ravan-Hatha
This instrument is again a Ravan-Hatha played by another senior person near the banks of the Gangaour Ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur.
Been
This is a trumpet-like musical instrument used by snake charmers as seen in the photo and creates a very mesmerizing sound. It is believed to be played for making the snake dance or move to the tunes but very few people know that snakes do not hear sound through the air but via ground vibrations. So the intention of this instrument is to simply threaten and keep the snake or Cobra busy by moving the pointed end of the Been in front of its eyes.
I met this snake charmer and his buddy outside the City Palace in Jaipur
Dafli or Duff
These young performers in the sand dunes of Sam near Jaisalmer performed a personalized welcome song for a small tip especially for me upon reaching there for a desert camel safari. The younger girl is seen dancing while the elder girl singing while the eldest boy played the Dafli.
This dance form is called as the Kabelia dance and the lyrics are famous:
Ara Ra Ra … Kalo Kood pado mele mein Cycle puncture kar lye ayo
आरा रारा रारा रा… कालो कूद पडो मेले में, सायकल पंक्चर कर अयो…
Here’s a video of the performance:
Morchang or mouth harp
I met this very senior person outside the Amar Sagar temple 20 km from Jaisalmer.
This is again a string instrument that is held close to the mouth and played by pulling the string with a finger.
Here’s a video that shows how to play and the soothing sound that it makes.
Overall, Rajasthan is not just full of amazing forts and rich palaces there is also no end to the number of artists that play musical instruments and perform folk art on the streets and at selected tourist places. All one needs is some time out of the busy itinerary to sit beside them and appreciate their skills.
help 
: when you tried to play Ravanhatha musical instrument, did you play it well ?
