Pahcham

(INSTITUTE OF FOLK MUSIC BARANA)

Pahchan stands for identification and recognition.  The institute of folk music has humble aim to identify and recognize the tradicional musical culture of Thar desert.

lt is a historical and geographic fact that desert society has carved out a way of life and spirit to survive and respond to hard vagaries of arid nature through deep and sensitive music as well as other aesthetic experiences in front of literature, sculpture, painting and architecture.

Present tradition of folk music of this region can easily be traced to 15-16th century.  One can go further in history, if musical principles are traced through the use of musical instruments like Kamaicha, Sarangi and Pava Jodi.

Like all Indian traditional spiritual and material cultural expressions, the folk music also became institutionalized through castes system.  The castes became repository and excellent practitioners of different forms.

The Manganiar caste got carved out in this region to practice and preserve the musical form.  Their other brothers of similar caste like institution are Sarangia, Langas, Sumaiya, Dholi, Damami, Nagarchi and Dhadhi etc.  All of them belong to professional hereditary caste musician groups.

The tradition has survived through transmitting musical knowledge and practice from one generation to the next.  The society in general provided the economic umbrella for their survival through well organised Jajmani system.

With the arrival of modem period, new problems came up before the society in general as well as different art forms.  New electronic media and new ethos of social, economic and political system demanded new role from traditional forms.

lt is here, in this situation, that we had our special effort to preserve, continue and develop the traditional musical lore of this region.

We claim highly sophisticated vocal compositions handed over to us by our for fathers, we claim excellent string instruments like Surnai,Murali, Pava (double flute), Narh, membranophonic instruments like Dholac, Dhol, Jaldang, Khadtal etc.  All of these instruments have helped us to energise the improvisatory techniques in vocal rendoring.

The challenge for us is to keep not only the traditional handed over to us but also to exploit the elements of our music to develop in its own roots.
 

lt is for this reason, we musicians have decided to establish our own tradition to achieve the following aims:

1 - to arrange and organise opportunity for up-coming musicians to learn from our great tradition in a more structural and scientific way. 

2 - to see that musical performance become sustainable. 

3 - to preserve and document our traditions through audio, video and photographic mediums

4 - to scientifically study ways and methods of transmission of music in oral format

5 - to resurrect our traditions of poetry, epics, story-telling and many other oral forms which are yet available through our elder generation.

Pahcham aims at holistic development of musical culture which involves all the people living in this region. lt recognizes the need of literacy and serious consciousness building among our musical groups.  There is no doubt that our efforts need support and strength from the society.

Our immediate proposal and concernwould be as follow:

1 - to run 4 annual camps of music (vocal and instrumental) for 30 children (boys) for duration of 2 months.

a) age group would be 9 to 15 years

b) senior musicians to take classes

c) organize boarding and lodging for students and teachers

d) serious effort would be made to make all participants literate

2 - good musical instruments makers are our challenge.  Instruments like Kamaicha, Satara (Pava or Algoja), Murli etc. have not been easily available for at least last 60-70 years.  We would try to work our program for preparing craftsrnan to make this instruments. 

3 - organize performances and workshops of musicians themselves to discuss problems related to compositions, rags system and rhythmic forms from the point of view of musicology.
 

Gazi Khan Barana
Chainnan

Village: Barana
Post: Khurhi
District: Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) India

TEL, FAX: 0091 2992 51677 / 50807

TEL.  Res.  Barana village: 0091 2992 75470 /75421
Pahcham