Rajasthan landless artists find it difficult to save folk music with livelihoods
In a noisy restaurant along the Delhi-Haridwar motorway, Subhash Bhopa is quietly seated in a corner and plays his “Ravanhatha”. The sound of the passage of the vehicle of this old musical instrument remains buried under the sound of the sound of the passage of the vehicle and the conversation of the people who eat. Bearing a brilliant turban and a satin printing sadri, Subhash is one of the last Bhopas (traditional Rajasthan), who are still playing Ravanivatha. Ravanatha is an inclined instrument, on which it is believed that it was built by the demon Raj Ravana to worship the Lord Shiva.
Subhash, however, mainly plays Bollywood songs. He said: “Folk music is my first choice, but people like the air of Bollywood songs. They help me win a livelihood.” Subhash and his wife leave their house in the village of Kadpura in the Rajasthan Churu district in summer and travel for means of subsistence in Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and other cities of the Uttar Pradesh, because the art of 700 is lost little by little, in which the folk deities of Bhopa lose their identity.
Two deep reasons for this pathetic condition – the artists are landless and climate change. According to Jitetra Sharma of the Indian National Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (Intach), Pabuji is considered an incarnation of Laxman to Rajasthan. His story is written on clothes, which is called Phad and the folk singers, who are called Bhopa, sing and tell their village story in the village. He said that the Koli community weaves fabric for that, while the Brahmans took photos. Raika, a shepherd community which is widely known for grazing, loves Pabuji, because he believes that he protects their animals.
Rajputs respects him, because Pabuji himself was a rathore rajput. Sharma said that, like many nomadic communities, Bhopa depends on the land for its livelihoods for a long time, which is also a livelihood and also as a cultural source. He said that many of them are landless, due to which they do not have access to basic aid structures, which can ensure stability, such as housing, water, electricity and government aid.
Sharma said that due to weak relations with the earth, its ability to pursue cultural practices that define its identity was also weakening. Sitting in a dilapidated rented room with a dreaded light in Sheikhpura, Meerut, another Khabarpura Bhopa Amar Singh remembers the way in which the elderly village of the community demonstrated the Pabuji Phad during community ceremonies, often under the patronage of rich owners. He said: “The camels were kept in almost all the houses at the time. People trusted them and nourished rituals to repair sick animals and pray for the prosperity of their family.” Amar Singh said: “There are no camels in the houses.
The tractor replaced it. Those who still raise camels do not sing. We are barely singing once or twice a year. “He said that now the listener is no longer. He said that the young generation prefers to listen to songs on their phone. He said:” We are from one village to the other to sing Bhajans. People give donations according to their capacity. “Amar Singh said their children had not learned this art. He said: “There is no future in there. There are no advantage. Only two of the hundreds of Bhopa families still demonstrate this art. ”
Amar Singh expressed his apprehension that this tradition would not last long. He said: “He slips like sand.” They say the growing heat has worsened the situation. He said, “People live inside after 10 am. Not having a crowd means no work. ”
Amar Singh says he has neither land nor house, so his community half coaching is even more affected by the weather. He says: “When you see my village, you will understand.” His brother Dharampara in the village of Kadapura de Churu underlined the severe situations face during the hot heat. He showed that the roof of asbestos rests on a good house instead of a good house, four without plaster walls.
There is no electrical connection, so there is no fan either. Sumit Dukiya, an associate professor at Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University and from Western Rajasthan, says that the old social fabric of the State formerly supported many landless communities, which used to keep old living art. Bhopa was one of them. He said: “At that time, the rich owners used to protect these artists. Today, this support is over. Without agricultural land, Bhopa is forced to leave his village to survive.
