Soaking up the musical roots of Rajasthan

Celebrated as a gala music festival during the full moon of the year (Sharad Purnima) in the month of October, Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur is an event to treat your ears and soul with. Often abbreviated as Jodhpur RIFF, it is a non-profit partnership project that involves India’s leading trusts Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation who aim to offer the music lovers a platform to unite and celebrate music.

Rajasthan is a destination that blends imperialism and natural beauty, exotic culture, unique cuisine, markets, camel rides, sunsets by the sand dunes and royal hospitality to name the prominent ones. To fuse them all, Rajasthan presents the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) which is endorsed by UNESCO as a “People’s Platform for Creativity and Sustainable Development”.

Rajasthan International Folk Festival held its first edition in 2007 which was held in the mesmerizing backdrop and ambience of the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. In a span of 12 years since its advent, the festival is established as an annual festival on the world music calendar. The festival popularly attracts many music lovers, artists, performers and the royal heirs of the state.

RIFF is an event that invites and involves a number of national as well as international artists to come together and present their respective cultural and artistic endeavors. There are many things to do, music shows, new collaborations, traditional events, puppet shows, fire dance, and instrumental performances which stand out as major attractions. Children are offered with exclusive shows like string puppetry, circus performances and snake dance, and many of the shows don’t require tickets for them.

The Rajasthan rural arts program was initiated by the late John Singh who laid the foundation stone of the annual RIFF. He has been a great contribution to the festival by devouring and inspiring with creative and supportive work, identifying new talent, creating new platforms, and finding new faces from all over the world. The program worked directly with the region’s artists living in the villages of Rajasthan who could reach out to local communities and local audiences with their traditional music.

RIFF remains exclusive as a music festival that holds a special position on the world music calendar. RIFF has been planned from the outset to serve as a magnificent 21st century patron to the traditional rural music and musicians of Rajasthan to be precise, and artists and musicians from all over the world. Around 250 musicians and artists from Rajasthan and outside take part in this festival actively.

RIFF features numerous events such as gypsy and traditional dance forms, a Rajasthani night, jazz night, early morning ragas and a lot more. During the festival, the brightness of the full moon adds an earthy and royal touch to the celebration.

The major highlights of the fair are classified into several categories ranging from kids’ favorites to folk artists to music maestros to skilled instrument players and traditional dance shows. Enlisted below are some of the major attractions of the RIFF.

• Kids special:
  
  1. String puppetry
  2. Circus performances
  3. Drum performances
  4. Fort festivals
  5. Martial art performances
  6. Snake dance
  7. Woodwind instrument performances
  8. Screening of films
  9. Children folk morning featuring Kachi Ghodi and Chhatar Kotla to drum beats
  
  Other attractions:
  
  1. Local dance performances
  2. Music performances with woodwind instruments
  3. Fire dance
  4. Music performances by Sufi artists like Shafi Sopori, and by Kalbeliyas with Mohini Devi, Makan Ashgvari
  5. Kashmiri Root music
  6. Carnatic music
  7. Meghwal of Marwar
  8. Vocals by artists like Suguna Jogi, Dapu Khan, Manesha Agarwal and Mangka
  9. Performance by Anwar Khan Manganiyar
  10. Performance by Kamad community
  11. The Legendary music of the Langa; Ana Pinhal; Wouter Kellerman; Alif
  12. The poetry of Meera Bai – with folklorist like Sumitra, C.P. Dewal, Mahesha Ram and others
  13. Fort festivals
  14. Martial art performance
  15. Saar ke Sur
  16. Humanitarian speeches
  17. Group performances

• Indulge in traditional Rajasthani music
• Get startled by the risky and dangerous skills enacted during the Kawa circus organized by the Rajasthani circus artists
• Explore the rare instrument Kamaycha – a string instrument which is made of mango wood and covered with goatskin, and is played with a bow
• Watch Davy Sicard live in action whose music is unique and a perfect blend of African slave chants and rhythms.

The success of RIFF is owed by HH Gaj Singh of Marwar-Jodhpur who is the Chief Patron of Jodhpur RIFF, Sir Mick Jagger – the front man of the rock band, and the famous The Rolling Stones - International Patron of Jodhpur RIFF.

Strategically scheduled to coincide with “Sharad Purnima” when the full moon shines with its full glory in North India, the event at RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around the breathtaking beauty of Mehrangarh Fort which is voted as the “Asia’s Best Fortress”. It is a bliss to experience music, colors and festivities amidst the rustic yet traditional ambience of Jodhpur enclosed by a certain spectacular feeling which can’t be expressed in words.

There are royal arrangements of 20 luxury tents inside the fort by the Maharaja Group of Hotels. Each tent is very spacious and is equipped with basic as well as luxurious amenities of urbanized society. The tents are equipped with an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning, and a comfortable bed.

Guests are suggested to make advance bookings for accommodation to avoid last minute rush, and very often unavailability of stay. Apart from the luxury tents inside the fort, guests can also opt for numerous luxury hotels as well as the Umaid Bhawan Palace, which is the official sponsor of RIFF, and an exceptional accommodation choice.