IT COMES A FULL CIRCLE

Nearly two decades after its Delhi debut, theatre director Roysten Abel's famous production, The Manganiyar Seduction, returns to the city next week. Abel reflects on the music's evolution, the ensemble's journey, and what it has taught him.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

A musician is no less than a magician, blinding us with the power of voice and rhythm. Now imagine being mesmerised by 38 of them at once. That is the allure of renowned thespian Roysten Abel's famous production The Manganiyar Seduction that reels one into the melodious renditions of Sufi classics attributed to 18th-century poet Bulleh Shah.

The production is as much a visual treat as a musical one. Thirty-eight performers sit in individual glowing pods that light up as each musician takes their turn, a dramatic arrangement inspired by two unconnected worlds - Amsterdam's red-light district and Jaipur's Hawa Mahal, with red-curtained cubicles stacked row upon row. As lights flicker and layered rhythms unfold, the stage feels enchanting and almost cinematic.

This hypnotic, larger-than life experience returns to Delhi next Saturday, on December 13, almost poetically to the same city where it premiered in 2006 at the Osian's Cinefan Festival.

The idea for the show began when Abel was travelling in Spain for another production with street performers, including two Manganiyar musicians. The Manganiyars, a community of hereditary and folk musicians from Rajasthan's Thar desert, carry centuries-old traditions of devotional and celebratory music. Once royal court musicians, today they are invited to perform at weddings, harvest festivals, and community gatherings.