By IANS
Jodhpur : The desert city of Jodhpur will reverberate with vibrant folk music and contemporary world music at the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), starting Oct 25.
The festival will feature more than 150 artists from Rajasthan, other states of India, and many parts of the world, offering an unique opportunity to hear some of the most talented folk musicians working alongside with the world’s finest classical and fusion artistes.
Main stage artistes like Indian Ocean, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Tarhana, an evening inspired by Maand traditions from the courts of Rajasthan directed by sitar maestro Krishna Mohan Bhatt, are some of the main highlights of the festival.
Three club nights with musicians from Britain and bands from India, brought together courtesy of the British Council, will add colour to the festival.
The opening of the festival has been timed to coincide with Sharad Poornina – the brightest full moon of the Vedic calendar – when the royal courtyards and terraces of Mehrangarh Fort will be bathed in moonlight and opened for the four-day festival.
Two leading heritage trusts– Mehrangarh Museum Trust (MMT) and Jaipur Virasat Foundation (JVF) – have joined hands to create the festival.
“It’s a fact that culture is a powerful economic tool,” said Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Jodhpur, in a statement. Singh’s vision to conserve and promote folk traditions of Rajasthan has been one of the prime driving forces behind the festival.
“Musicians from Rajasthan are custodians of some of the most vibrant folk traditions in India,” he said.
“We have been supporting them at other festivals for some years now, and it was a natural extension to bring them back to Mehrangarh.”
“We want musicians from Rajasthan to perform in an environment that is non-traditional,” explains Singh, “so we have invited several national and international musicians to perform along with them on the same stage.”
The festival has been endorsed by Unesco as ‘Peoples’ Platform for Creativity and Sustainable Development’.