This musician tells us why we need to preserve musical heritage

From Yehudi Menuhin to Yo Yo Ma, Gazi Khan Barna speaks of the need to encourage traditional forms of folk music and his idea of fusion

The sands of Jaisalmer are swirling around on a cold evening as folk singer Gazi Khan Barna walks into the tent. The artiste has just wrapped up his concert at the Jaisalmer Desert Festival and is in a hurry as he sits down for a conversation. This is a busy man who is set to travel to Nice in March, before heading over to the US for numerous concerts till November 2023.

“I was born in the Manganiyar community. All we have is music. That alone has helped me travel the world,” Barna says. The musician belongs to the Manganiyar community of Jaisalmer. Known for their musical heritage, the community has produced some of the best known vocalists and musicians of the Rajasthani folk tradition. Barna, also a founder of the Pehchan Folk Music Institute, was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2022 for his contribution to the genre.

Barna performs with the khartal in his hands

“It is a big honour,” he admits, adding that collaborations with international artists are a matter of pride. Barna clearly recalls the point of inflection when he was invited by Pandit Ravi Shankar to be part of From The Sitar To The Guitar in 1994. Since then, he has worked with composers from Yehudi Menuhin to Yo Yo Ma and Peter Brooks. This sense of experimentation continues till date. “We have several performances coming up, in Nice in March, and one in Paris in October where our live symphony will act as the background to the screening of Prem Sanyas (1925) film,” he shares.

Yet, his collaborations all have one thing in common, he notes. “All these musicians are true seekers. They want a sense of discovery. That is the true joy of fusion,” he explains.

Is this why he avoids commercial projects, we ask. “The joy of composing live can never match a studio creation. Now, there are a number of Rajasthani folk musicians in Bollywood. I have no complaints. But I want our music to remain unfiltered,” he asserts. To this end, he continues to travel with his own band of traditional Manganiyar musicians and their equipment. “We may not read music. But ask us to sing, and you will find the same technical proficiency,” he promises.

Even as folk music has found its space in Indian fusion and cinema, Barna remains a tad cynical. “The key is to retain individuality,” he emphasises, adding, “I often insist that I will not compose according to their whim,” he says describing the process.

For the writer, unlearned in the ways of music, the idea of Indian folk adapting to flamenco remains mystical. “It is not a challenge if you are open to it,” Barna says simply. But he emphasises that the traditional instruments of khartal and morcchang (a mouth harp) are truly instruments of the desert.  

This solitude also informs their music. Barna says that traditional music is often personal with songs for birth, marriages, cattle and guests. “We have songs for funerals as well. From birth to death, we sing about the cycle of life. Folk is, after all, the mother of classical music. This makes it our duty to preserve it.” His global wanderings certainly have done their bit.

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