music
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Evocative of a rich
past, Rajasthan ranks high among the most visited tourist destinations of
India and is home to numerous palaces, forts, lakes and impressive
architectural monuments. The folk music of Rajasthan also occupies an
important place among the traditions of Rajasthan and is embedded in the
hearts and souls of the inhabitants.
Rajasthani folk music has great variety and is rich, heroic, forlorn and
enjoyable. It covers all aspects of the life of the Rajasthani people. The
voices of the singers are full-throated, strong and powerful. The numerous
songs sung by the women mirror the various feminine moods and deep family
ties.
The renowned battles of the gallant Rajputs are told through songs and the
music confers both a spirit of distinctiveness and provides a welcome
diversion from the daily chores.
The most striking feature of the folk music of Rajasthan is that there are
different songs for the different moods. “Peepli” and “Nihalde” are songs
beseeching the beloved one not to leave her or to return to her as soon as
possible. There are also songs regarding the family, comparing every number
to the various ornaments worn by women. Even the festivals such as of Gangaur
and Teej that are celebrated for marital bliss and the upcoming harvesting
season call for particular songs without which, the celebrations are deemed
to be incomplete.
Besides, there are a number of communities of Rajasthan such as “bhopas” or
the wandering balladeers who sing about the Marwar folk heroes and travel
from village to village entertaining people. You will also encounter several
singing communities in Rajasthan known as the 'dholis'. They are also known
by other names such 'mirasis', 'dhadhis', 'langas', 'manganiyars',
'kalbelias', 'jogis', 'sargaras', 'kamads', 'nayaks' or 'thotis' and the
'bawaris'. Their music has crossed borders and has gained immense popularity
at the national and international level. Many of the folk artists have
received prestigious national and international awards.
Folk opera of Rajasthan is another field which has gained huge popularity and
is performed by the professionals in association with amateurs. Several
noteworthy ones deserving mention are the 'maach' of Chittaurgarh area,
'tamasha' of Jaipur and 'rammat' of Bikaner.
Folk Music of Rajasthan occupies an important position in the festivals and
celebrations of Rajasthan. The very charm of Rajasthan and the culture of the
people get reflected through their enchanting music and songs.
Touristplacesinindia.com offers online information on folk Music of Rajasthan
and also offers useful inputs on the Rajasthani cuisine.
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| art
Rajasthan is among the richest
states in the country as far as the field of arts and crafts is concerned.
Stone, clay, leather, wood, ivory, lac, glass, brass, silver, gold and textiles
are given the most brilliant forms. Some of the popular crafts are :
Jewellery
Rajasthan is rich in jewellery, each area having
it's own unique style. Some of the traditional design are rakhri, bala,
bajuband, gajra, gokhru, jod, etc. tribal women wear heavy, simply crafted
silver jewelry . Men also wear ornaments in the form of chockers and earrings.
Jaipur is famous expert centre for precious and semi-precious gem stones.
Rajasthan excels in a wide range of ornaments-using Emerald, Daimond, Pearls,
Garnet, Agate, etc. made especially in Jaipur and Jodhpur.
Meenakari is the art of enamelling on gold or silver and is done in Jaipur
using the raised-field style. Kundan is the art of setting precious stones in
gold. There is a large variety of bangles in Rajasthan. Consequently, all
manner of precious and semi-precious stones can be purchased in Rajasthan.
Textiles
Rajasthani textiles come in an attractive range of hand - block prints, tie and
dye and embrodered fabrics with mirror work. The art of Khari or over printing
in gold is also practised here. The bandhni or tie & dye work comes from
Sikar, Jodhpur, Udaipur etc.
Bandhani or Tie and Dye
As the name suggests, this technique involves two stages: tying sections of a
length of cloth (silk or cotton) and then dunking it into vats of colour. The
main colours used in Bandhani are yellow, green, red and black. It is
essentially a household craft supervised by the head of the family. The fabric
is skillfully knotted by the women, while the portfolio of dyeing rests with
the men. The Jaipur dyer rarely works with more than two dye baths while the
additional colours are spot dyed, which makes the process much easier.
Thereafter, the fabric opens out into amazing designs in kaleidoscopic colours:
dots, circles, squares, waves and stripes. The laheriya or the ripple effect is
achieved by a variation of this technique. Lengths of permeable muslin are
rolled diagonally from one corner to the opposite, bound tightly at intervals
and then dyed. The ties are then undone and the process repeated by diagonally
rolling the adjacent corner toward the opposite and repeating the process. Both
Jaipur and Jodhpur are major centres of laheriya.
Block-printing
Rajasthan has a long and distinguished traditon of printing with finely carved
wooden blocks. This method, though labourious, is actually quite simple and
merely calls for precision. The cloth is laid out flat on a table or bench and
a freshly dipped block is handpressed on to the fabric to form a continuous,
interlocking pattern. The block carries dye if the original colour of the cloth
has to be preserved. If the cloth has to be dyed, the block is used to apply an
impermeable resist - a material such as clay, resin or wax - to demarcate the
pattern that is not to be coloured. Later, when the cloth is dyed, the pattern
emerges in reverse. Traditonally, block-printing relied on the use of natural
dyes and pigments, but now synthetic dyes have gained currency as they are cheaper.
Block Printing is widely practiced at Sanganer and Bagru.
Embroidery
In the hamlets of southwestern Rajasthan you won't spot a single house without
an embroidered toran or frieze hung above the doorway. The women of this region
and adjoining Kutch and Saurashtra districts of Gujarat are adept at
needlework. Embroidered torans, odhnis, shawls, ghagras (long, flowing skirt)
and blouses that come to life with colourful motifs and the sparkle of tiny
mirrors or shishas, are a mandatory part of their bridal dowry. There are also
embroidered leather bags, saddles and ethnic footwear (popularly dubbed mojdis
or jooties), but these are particularly the domain of men.
Carpets
Rajasthan carpets are suprb in workmanship and command sizeable export market.
Exquisite carpets in traditional and contemporary designs, woollen druggets or
'Namdas' and hand-woven cotton duries also known as 'Panja' durries are the
popular floor coverings.
Leatherware
Rajasthan has a long history in leather craft and industry and leather shoes
known as jootis or mojdis are made in Jaipur and Jodhpur. Embroidery known as
kashida is done on the jootis: in Jaipur it is first done on velvet which is
then made to cover the shoes while in Jodhpur it is applied directly to the
leather. This embroidery is mainly done by the women, who also does a bit of
fancy stitching or appliqué work to give a designer look to the shoes that have
neither a left or a right foot.
Paintings
The miniature paintings of Rajasthan are renowned the world over. Over a period
of time several schools of painting developed in Rajasthan : the Mewar School,
Bundi-Kota Kalam, Bikaner, Jaipur, paintings were being made in Rajasthan as
early as the 18th century and later the Mughal court employed the artists.
Todays families engaged in miniature paintings exist in Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Nathwara and Kishangarh and continue to paint fine works of art on handmade
paper. The ancient tradition of scroll paintings survives in Rajasthan as Phads
and Pcihwais in bold vigorous lines and bright primary colours displaying much
of the ancient Indian tradition of narrative painting.
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