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Music here, also has strong religious flavour and is
sung in dedication to various deities. Some religious
songs are folk idioms of Saints, Surdas, Kabirdas, Meerabai
and others. These songs are mostly heard in nightlong
soirées.
Music traditions are kept alive by entertainer like the
Langas, Manganniyars, Mirasis and Dholis. The education
in music of these groups began early and passed down from
generation to generation. The folk musicians are apt in
classical tradition. Songs normally began with an alap,
which set the tune of the song and then recital of the
couplet that is called the dooba. The songs also have
the taan, the pitch and the tibias -the triplet, which
lends variance to the tune.
Ballad traditions of Rajasthan are also of great attention.
Here bards sing heroic tales of folk heroes like Tejaji,
Gogaji and Ramdeoji. They sing and narrate heroic tales
of battles and even of legendary lovers and their tragedies.
To distinctive category in this tradition are the 'Phad'
and the puppetry.
The accompanying instruments are of various varieties
to repercussion, string and wind and even common use utilities
like bells, thali (metal dishes) and earthen pots.
Dance forms of Rajasthan
The Thar Desert of Rajasthan comes alive when its dancers
take the center stage. Rajasthan has great variety of dances,
which are simple expressions of celebration and festivity.
The dancers, the dances and costumes have made Thar the
most colorful desert in the world. Each region adding its
own form of dance styles and performers. There are dances
that follows a lineage of age old traditions, adhere to
religious significance, display their daring attitude as
well as complimenting various fairs and festivals.
Ghoomar, a community dance for women performed on auspicious
occasions. Gair Ghoomar, Raika, Jhoria and Gauri are particularly
of Bhil tribe. Gair is performed on Holi but only by the
men folk. Chari dance, with pots on the head and a lighted
lamp, is popularly performed on marriage occasions or
on the birth of a male child. Kalbelia dance is of the
kalbelia tribe, the snake charmers. With numerous pots
on the head, women excel the balancing act in the Matka-bhawai.
Terah taali, is a ritual for Baba Ramdev, a dance with
thirteen manjiras. Other dances are Kachhi-Ghodi, Kathputli
(the puppet dance), Fire dance, drum dance and various
others pertaining to the particular tribes. Kathhak, a
popular dance form being imported from Uttar Pradesh have
been revived by the rajputana courts, with a style and
theme of its own.
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