RAJASTHAN INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL JODHPUR 2012
Our Programme
26 Oct 12 Dep by Rajasthan
Kranti from Gurgaon arr Jodhpur 08.30 hours
Stayed in Army Guest Room.
31 Oct 12 Return by Mandore Exp dep
20.00pm arrival Gurgaon 06.00 Am
Jodhpur U can see these places;
Mehrangarh Fort. This fort is one of the largest
fort in India.
The fort is situated at an altitude of about 400 ft and is spread over an area
of 5 sq km, with seven gates.
Umaid Bhawan
Palace. This
immense palace known as Chittar
Palace because of the
local chittar sandstone used.The palace now runs as a hotel, though, a part of
it has been retained as a museum and part as royal residence.
Jaswant Thada. Close to the fort complex lies
white marble cenotaph, built in 1899 .
Mandore. Mandore is located at a distance
of 9 km from Jodhpur
City. The Cenotaph of
Maharajah Dhiraj Ajit Singh, an attraction of this site is adorned with carved
elephants.
FESTIVAL Details
Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), the only experimental folk music festival in the world providing platform to folk musicians of India and abroad.The Jodhpur RIFF has tied up with Celtic Connections, the largest folk music festival in the northern hemisphere.
Day breaks; 5.30 AM
to 7.30 AM ,Open to all, Entry free
Interactive Session; 11.00
AM In Mehrangarh Fort Lawns, Rs 750 per day.
Living Legends
- 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM Chkelao
Mahal, Rs 900.00 per day.
Dusk Devotions
; 5.00 PM to 6.15 PM ; Jaswant Thada
; Entry free
Main Stage -8.00 PM to 11.30 Chkelao Mahal, Meharangarh Fort , Rs1100.00 per day
Club Mehran
- from 11.30 PM onwards, Mehrangarh Fort, Rs900 per day
Except for Dusk Devotions all events are inside Mehrangarh Fort.
27 October: Went to see the Interactive Session,11.00 AM In Residence - Percussion of Rajasthan.
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| Waiting for Performance |
Returned for Lunch.
Went to see Living Legends from 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM at Chkelao Mahal by Sugna Devi Kalbeliya and Latif Khan Langa .
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| Sugna Devi |
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| Latif Khan Performance |
Carried pack dinner and saw: Main Stage Performances -8.00 PM to 11.30 at Chkelao Mahal Maand; Mark Atkins in collaboration with rajasthani percussionists; Cimarron from Colombia .
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| Mark Atkins of Australia |
Acknowledged as one of Australia’s
finest didgeridoo players, Mark Atkins is also recognized internationally for
his collaborative projects with some of the world’s leading composers and
musicians. A descendant of Western
Australia’s Yamitji people, as well as of
Irish/Australian heritage, Mark Atkins is known not only for his masterly
playing, but also as a storyteller, composer, percussionist, visual artist and
instrument maker. Through Mark’s lips the air blows as a natural desert sound,
in old ethnic chants and in polyphonic melodies of astonishing rhythm.
Cimarron is the most
accomplished llanera (music from los Llanos) group in Colombia. A
seven piece band, led by harpist and composer Carlos Rojas, they have been
working for over
twenty years and have performed in
Venezuela,
Mexico,
Guatemala,
Sweden,
France,
Italy,
England
and the
USA.
These musicians are immersed in the sounds of los llanos; they seek to explore
and experiment with their rich heritage whilst retaining the essence of the
tradition.
Later saw at Club Mehran - from 11.30 PM Ek raat Ghulam Hussain ke Saath (Qawwalli); returned back and did not see Midnight Global Grooves with MPS Pilot.
28 October: Went to see Interactive Folk Session - 2 - 11.00 AM - The Kathodi of Mewar
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| Kathodi of Mewar |
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| Performer who has been to over 65 Countries |
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| Tribal Performers |
Came back for Lunch and went to see Living Legends
Chkelao Mahal (Mehrangarh Fort) 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM Male Khan Langa; Anwar Khan Manganiyar; Gavra Devi Bikaneri
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| Male Khan |
The Main Stage performance was from 8.00 PM to 11.30 at Old Zenana Courtyard (Mehrangarh Fort) of Desert Souls (sarangi);
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| Maharaja Gaj Singh meeting performers |
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| Desert Souls is Single Family Performance |
Ganesh - Kumaresh Duo (Carnatic Violin); Burhan Ocal and Istanbul Oriental Ensemble
We came back after this and did not go to : Club Mehran for performance from 11.30 PM at Desert Lounge.
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| Istanbul Orient |
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| On top of Mehrangarh fort |
29 October: Went to see Interactive Folk Session - 3 - 11.00 AM - The Kalbeliya of Marwar
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| Performer Kalbeliya |
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| Kalbeliya |
Came back for Lunch and saw evening Dusk Devotions.
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| See the Mehrangarh Fort in Back ground |
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| Dusk Devotion; See the Palace in Background |
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| Fort at Night |
Main Stage - 8.00 PM to 11.30 Chkelao Mahal (Mehrangarh Fort) Parveen Khan and Rhys Sebastian;
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| Parveen, Rhys Sebastian |
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| The Fantastic Performer NADRO Band |
Rakitha Wickramaratne and band Naadro , later with Rajasthani Percussionists;
Rakitha Wickramaratne with
Naadro Percussion Band. Rakitha is the founder member of the newest six member
drum ensemble of Sri Lanka known as 'NAADRO'. 'A Percussion Ensemble' ably
supported by Gayan Manokumara, Nalinda Dilupama, Ranga Nuwantha, Pabalu
Wijegunawadene , and Uthpala Iroshan, are all trained under the likes of well
known names in the field of music such as Piyasara Shilpadhipathi, Dr Basil
Mihiripanna and Ravi Bandu Vidyapathi and all the young musicians are students
at the University of Colombo, learning the Performing Arts.
Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson Band from Scotland.
Jarlath has been a three time All-Ireland
Champion Uilleann Piper at only 19 years of age. In December 2003 he became the
first Irish musician to win the prestigious BBC Young Folk Musician Of The
Year. Ross hails from Perth
and is a former member of the Grade 1 Vale Of Atholl pipe band. He has since
toured with his tutor, the late Gordon Duncan, and was involved in Ivan
Drever's band Clueless before more recently playing with Flook!, Dougie MacLean
and Salsa Celtica.
Also saw - from 11.30 PM Rustle with Scottish Band, Sri Lankan NADRO with Rajasthani Musicians and surprise guest artist.
30 October 2012. Early morning went to see Closing Dawn Concert 5.30 AM to 7.30 AM at Jaswant Thada (outside Mehrangarh Fort) singing of Sahaja Kabir, suno bhai sadho by Prahlad Tipaniya and Party.A memorable performance indeed.
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| Prahlad Tipaniya |
|
Back drop of Jaswant Thada
|
31Oct Went to see Umaid Bhavan Palce,and its small museam and then drove to Mandore Garden and returned by Lunch. Mandore Garden can be skipped.It is badly maintained and not worth the effort to go there.
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| UMAID PALACE |
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| Umaid Palace |
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| Mandore Garden |
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| Temple at Mandore Garden |
The Rajasthan International Folk Festival is an excellent event for all music lovers.
You can enjoy each and every performance. The performances by local artists are fantastic.
The international performers are exceptional in their field.
It is held on Full Moon of Oct each year.
Enjoy It.
Here is a Clip showing various performers performing in the RIFF.
The Dam Model .
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