A literary encounter brings together a poet and two tribal musicians, who collaborate to bring alive the Great Rann Of Kutch in a rehearsal room at Prithvi House
A literary encounter brings together a poet and two tribal musicians, who collaborate to bring alive the Great Rann Of Kutch in a rehearsal room at Prithvi House
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Musa Gulam Jat, Randhir Khare, Badhu and Bachaya Tayeb at a rehearsal. Pic/Jignesh Mistry |
How do a Pune-based poet and a tribal musician hailing from the remote deserts of Kutch connect with each other? "Because of a common bond of humanity," Randhir Khare, the award-winning poet, states. Musa Gulam Jat, a brilliant jodiya pawa (double flute) player does not understand English but when he and his childhood friend and percussionist Bachaya Tayeb play alongside Khare, who recites poetry inspired by the deserts, it simply turns into an unforgettable experience.
The trio will be performing Desert Winds, as part of the
PEN@Prithvi initiative. Explaining the format of the programme, Khare says, "I have told them the meaning of what I'm reading. We've also worked together keeping in mind the sound of what I'm reading because I don't just read my poems, there's also a lot of chanting and singing. It's a very dramatic way of bringing the sound and rhythms of words alive." It's the sounds that connect the three performers with each other despite the fact that the two musicians don't understand English.
Khare and Musa have known each other for the past ten years. The poet met Musa on one of his "unplanned trips into the remote areas" and the two have performed on and off ever since. At the performance, the focus is mainly to get audience to understand where Musa and Bachaya are coming from, their backgrounds. Both the musicians are Maldharis or cattle-herders. "While Musa has some cattle, Bachaya is so poor he has no cattle at all so he works as a construction labourer. In fact, the tangara, the instrument he uses, is simply an upside-down version of the equipment he uses at the construction site. So he just inverts the bowl and creates music out of it," explains Khare.
The idea of the performance is to portray the typical spirit of the desert through the musicians themselves as they personify the tough life back home. So while Musa and Bachaya play their instruments, Khare recites poems based on life in the desert. "I'm more interested in keeping alive certain folk traditions, which are actually the bedrock of all out culture," he says. Khare has also started the Living Heritage Movement to support people like Musa and Bachaya.
On: Today, 6.30 pm at Prithvi House, first floor, opposite Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu, Vile Parle (W).
The Singing HeartIf you miss the group's performance today, you can catch them later this week at the musical programme titled, The Singing Heart. Badhu, the last of the Bhil bards, will join Musa and Bachaya at this event. The event is inspired by a movement to create awareness about the tribal musician whose dedication and artistry has kept alive their great folkloric traditions despite the hardships. "I have an enormous collection of tribal poetry that I have translated. I will be chanting some of those works along with the performers," says Khare.
On: January 13, 7 pm at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. Call: 22824567u00a0
