Songs of the Dunes

Barkat Khan Manganiyar's voice wells up from the heart of Rajasthan's deserts.

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Powerful, deep, elemental, it cast a spell on the audience when he and his troupe took the stage at Jodhpur RIFF's 'Living Legends' session. Khan has been singing since he was 11. His repertoire is rich and varied: inspiring Jangdas about warriors and brave defenders of the land, devotional songs paying homage to gods such as Krishna and Shiva, songs in Raga Khamaj that soar to the skies, capturing the full glory of Rajasthan's folk tradition.

Now in his 60s, Khan sings with the same panache as he did when he was a boy. Age may have given his body aches and pains, he says, but his dedication to his music hasn't aged. When asked if he ever had a guru to guide him, he laughs a full-throated laugh, then says that the Manganiyars—a community of Muslim folk musicians from western Rajasthan—have been passing on this music orally from generation to generation for ages. Born in Chattangarh, a dusty village near Jaisalmer, Khan learnt to sing from the elders in his family. This music is in his blood; these songs spring from his soul.

Over the years, whether singing at community events in his village, or performing at folk festivals in India and abroad, he has given it his all. The legendary Manganiyar spoke to Vineetha Mokkil about his musical journey. Excerpts:

You are one of the few Manganiyar musicians who can sing in the Jangda shaili, which is a rare art. What does it take to sing the Jangda?