PHOTO ESSAY: Manganiyar Musicians of the Thar Desert.

These photographs were taken in Bishu village, somewhere near the Pakistan border, and at the Rupayan Sansthan - Rajasthan Institute of Folklore, Jodhpur. Langa and Manganiyar musicians perform at various social gatherings at the houses of their patrons. In addition to reciting fictional stories common to the region, they keep genealogies of the families whom employ them. Some musicians have been invited to perform all around the world – from Moscow to Paris to Los Angeles and they perform annually in Chicago in September. For further information on the musical tradition of Rajasthan, I highly recommend this book, “Rajasthan: An Oral History - Conversations with Komal Kothari” by Rustom Bharucha.

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