Opening Night Variety City Concert
from 8.30 PM to 10.00 PM
Clock Tower Market

Open to all, entry free

A one and a half hour extravaganza of Rajasthani traditional music and dance, with the flavor of some exciting international artists – including Qawaali, Bhopa/ Bhopi songs, Algoza party and the male dancers, etc.

Dawn Devotions with The Sufi Gospel Project (New Delhi)
from 5.30 AM to 7.30 AM
Jaswant Thada (outside Mehrangarh Fort)

Open to all, entry free

Dusk Devotions with the Meghwal of Marwar
from 5.30 PM to 6.30 PM
Jaswant Thada (outside Mehrangarh Fort)

Open to all, entry free

The Meghwal are a Hindu community from the Marwar region in Rajasthan. The community of Megh or Meghwal is synonymous with the Bhambhi. The Meghwal are well known as an occupational group engaged in tanning of hides and also working as agricultural labourers. Their saint is Ram Devji and they sing Bhajans for their deity in villages. Their main accompanying instrument is called `tandura’ a string instrument with a very distinctive sound and the jhanjh,a cymbal-like instrument. The Meghwal women of western Rajasthan are recognized as being very good weavers.

Main Stage Performances
from 7.00 PM to 9.30 PM
Old Zenana Courtyard (Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 950.00 only

Maand (vocal tradition from Rajasthan)
At once both traditional and classical, maand is a vocal style that is Rajasthan’s singular contribution to north Indian classical music. This year we present two traditions of this style, performed by Mohini Devi of Mewar and Munshi Khan Dhadhi from Nagaur in Marwar in a serenading blend of vocals, sarangi and tabla.


Ek shaam Kavita Seth ke saath (Mumbai, India)
(Sufi – Hindi, Urdu vocals)

Kavita Seth has only recently begun to be noticed for the unusual texture and quality of her voice and her rendition of Sufi lyrics. As is the case with many a singer, the success of her film songs ‘ektara’ (Wake up Sid), ‘mora piya’ (Rajneeti) and ‘maula’ (Vaada) has brought her to the attention of wider audiences.

A highly sought after trained classical artist, Kavita chooses to sing mainly Sufi out of a sense of deeper connection with the Almighty. RIFF is proud to present this very special, all acoustic performance by one of India’s leading popular vocalists, as she continues her journey towards stardom.

Club Mehran – World Jazz night
from 10.30 PM onwards
Old Zenana Courtyard (Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 600.00 only

Yuri Honing and Wired Paradise, featuring Rajasthani Virtuoso Sumitra accompanied by Daya Ram and Goram Khan
(Instrumental and vocal Jazz from Netherlands/ Rajasthan)

Yuri has a deep respect and love for the artists of Rajasthan. Yuri has been keen to evolve and cement his Jazz collaboration with a few chosen Rajasthani folk artists that he began in 2008. Of special interest to him is Sumitra, a vocalist of sweet power and melody, who features here as the first in our Rajasthani Virtuoso Series at RIFF 2011. A versatile musician who mesmerises people with her sensational voice and entrances them with her graceful attitude, Sumitra began learning music from her father from an early age. In addition to her vocal prowess, Sumitra is an accomplished harmonium and tandura player and a graceful dancer as well.

It is important to note that Yuri Honing is Holland’s most important saxophone player (according to the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD and the Oxford Introduction to Jazz) with touring experience in over 50 countries and a discography of almost 30 titles. Honing has played and recorded with greats as Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and Paul Bley. In 2001 Honing received the Edison Jazz Award (Dutch Grammy) for his recording Seven, featuring Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motion.

Dawn Devotions- Jhankar: Rhythm and Ragas with Pt. Pravin Arya on Pakhawaj and Ustad Moinuddin Khan on sarangi.
From 5.30 a.m to 7.30 a.m
Jaswant Thada (Outside Mehrangarh Fort)
Open to all, entry free

Living Legends of Rajasthan
from 5.30 PM to 7.00 PM
Moti Mahal (Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 350.00 only

Kadar Khan Langa (Sindhi Sarangi and vocals - Marwar)
Kadar Khan Langa is one of the senior most musicians of the Sarangiya Langa community. A highly respected elder, he is a master of a large legacy of songs and tunes. At 61, his voice still carries a depth that reflects the musical wealth of his ancestors. RIFF is proud to be presenting him as one of the lead artists in the performance ‘The Legendary Music of Rajasthan’ at the Edinburgh International Festival 2011

Shrawan Gegawat (Mashak – Marwar)
Shrawan Gegawat is a one-of-a kind ‘mashak ‘player (mashak is Rajasthan’s traditional leather bagpipe). Today at 46, he considered one of the few traditional ‘mashak’ players in India. He belongs to the dholi community in Rajasthan. Shrawan is the only person who can sing the Maand through his mashak.

Bhanwari Devi (Vocals – Shekawati)
Drown in one of Rajasthan’s finest voices, as we meet Bhanwari Devi, a virtuoso performer and show stealer at RIFF in earlier years. RIFF is proud to be presenting her as one of the lead artists in its performance ‘The Legendary Music of Rajasthan’ at the Edinburgh International Festival 2011

Main Stage Performances
from 7.30 PM to 10.00 PM
Old Zenana Courtyard (Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 1100.00 only

Kamaycha ka kamaal with Shakar Khan Manganiyar – Rajasthani Virtuoso performance
(Instrumental Kamaycha performance from Marwar, Rajasthan)

Shakar Khan comes from the village of Hameera in Jaisalmer district. Hameera is considered to be the primary center to learn to play the traditional string instrument of the Manganiyar community - the Kamaycha. And Shakar Khan’s home and family have been the school where almost every kamaycha player has received their knowledge from. A recipient of a number of National Awards for excellence, Shakar Khan is the acknowledged master for his contribution to the continuing legacy the kamaycha.  Due to his weakening health, Shakarji has stopped performing for audiences.

But at RIFF 2011, at the age of 75, he will present a unique performance with two members of the next generation of his family.

At our very first festival, RIFF 2007, we were able to honour Shakarji with an award from RIFF Patron HRH Gaj Singh of Marwar-Jodhpur for his contribution to the continuity of this tradition.


Indian Ocean Double Bill
RIFF brings new music from the Islands of the Indian Ocean, exploring roots and new influences from the southern hemisphere

Band of Brothers – Grigoryan and Tawadros brothers
(Instrumental – Guitar and percussion – Australia)

These unusual and powerful musicians come from two vastly different traditions – two brothers of Kazakh and two of Egyptian origin grown up in Melboune and after training as classical musicians form a stunning band of profound virtuosity. A recipient of two ARIA awards, Slava Grigoryan and his brother Leonard play guitars with Oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros and his brother James on Egyptian percussion.

Performing in India for the very first time, The Band of Brothers present an intimate and exceptional repertoire of their distinguished music.

In addition to playing at RIFF, the Band of Brothers will also begin work on a new collaboration with  Rajasthani artists. This collaboration will develop over the early part of 2012 to be possibly featured in the Adelaide Guitar Festival, Australia’s premiere festival for string instruments and at other venues in Australia and then tour India in October 2012, beginning at RIFF 2012.

Davy Sicard
(Root and popular vocals in Maloya and French, accompanied by traditional instruments – from Reunion Island, Indian Ocean)

Far away from fads and marketing noise, the kaleidoscope of world music occasionally focuses on an iconic artist from an unrecognised region. In the last two years, the Reunion Island has been under the spotlight with one of its most eloquent musicians, Davy Sicard, adept at a spellbinding modern "maloya", where the different components of a multiple-origin people are reflected: India and Madagascar of course, but also Africa and Europe.
This will be his first ever visit to India and he hopes, in future, to build links with Rajasthan.

Davy Sicard's voice is the real surprise: extremely pure, strengthened by vocal harmonies and ethereal choruses, it flirts with the art of singing through a cappella, often the prerogative of the most intensive world music, the ones with a soul stirred up by the same ancestral and multi-secular sources that gave birth to gospel and soul music. A few traditional instruments, essentially percussion, like the "rouleur" which is a big drum and the "kayanm" which is close to maracas, melt with the more familiar guitar and bass tones.

A  Sunday Times (UK) review had this to say of his new album: His name hasn’t spread far beyond the Francophone world as yet, but this singer-guitarist from the Indian Ocean island of Réunion is a prodigious talent. Just as singers from Cape Verde have a knack of blending disparate soulful influences, so Sicard’s songs are the expression of a vibrant Creole culture.

Club Mehran – Rajasthani Night
from 11.00 PM onwards
Daulat Khana Chowk
Entry pass @ Rs. 700.00 only

A sensational party with traditional Rajasthani music featuring…

Rajasthani Virtuoso Jumma “Jogi’ Mewati (poetry, bhapang – Alwar, Rajasthan)

A poet, vocalist and a bhapang artist from Alwar district, Jumma incorporates different local languages and writes songs and sings on current global issues with amazingly simple, but exciting rhythms. He comes from the fine and long tradition of the Jogis of Mewat, who have been well known for both their political and social commentary and their ballads.

Jumma performs extensively in Rajasthan and outside. He also performs as part of Dharohar and was a collaborator with Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons at the iTunes Festival last year.


Dharohar featuring Jason Singh (Rajasthan/ UK)
Back at RIFF by popular demand!

With an immense amount of expertise and enthusiasm, Dharohar takes you through a variety of textures and moods. It perfectly combines the soaring vocals of Sumitra, one of Rajasthan's best-loved female singers, and the heart-wrenchingly beautiful voice of Sardar Khan and his sarangi, the perfect beats of dholak player Kutla Khan and compellingly energetic khartal artist Bhungar Khan, the rich vocals of traditional thespian Daya Ram, Dilip Bhatt and the witty and often controversial performance poet Jumma Khan, all complemented by the awesome Jason Singh's irrepressible rhythm.

And if Jason Singh steps to the front of the stage with morchang (Jew's harp ) talented Raies Khan, you're in for something special. The close and complex combination of morchang and beatboxing would get any crowd jumping, anywhere in the world!

Dharohar has enthralled the audience with amazing performances in Jaipur at the Jaipur International Festival, in Jodhpur at RIFF, in Mumbai, Lucknow and Delhi. The Rajasthani artists of Dharohar have also performed with folk rock act Mumford and Sons at the iTunes Festival in London last year.


Kawa Brass Band (Jaipur, Rajasthan)

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band has firmly established itself on both the local and international music scenes, giving successful performances in many festivals such as Roskilde Festival 2004, Dunya Festival, Mar de Musica, Forum des Cultures Barcelona 2004, Venice Carnival 2004, Expo Suisse 2002, Paleo Festival, Sfinsk Festival, WDR, BBC Radio 3, Commonwealth Games 2006 in Melbourne...

All arranged by Hameed Khan Kawa, the melodies and songs are developed in a refined way, with well-structured solo performances and dazzling improvisations on the clarinet and the trumpet. The percussionists: a cymbal player, a side drum player and a bass drum, elaborate fast and spontaneous playing with sophisticated Indian rhythms.

All together with an amazing and playful energy and humor, the ten artists of this extraordinary brass band, wear traditional clothes: a dazzling colorful turban, a typical Rajasthani jacket, a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and shiny camel leather shoes, play on stage or walk in parade and offer nothing less than the soul of the contemporary Indian's feast.


Maga Bo (Brazil)

The night closes with Maga Bo, the DJ/ Composer who rocked the house at RIFF last year, presenting a special set of popular Rajasthani CD music and beginning a new collaboration with Rajasthani artists, including the Dhol players of Rajasthan.

Dawn Devotions – early morning ragas
with brothers Pt. Hariharsharan Bhatt on sitar  (from Jaipur, Rajasthan) and Pt. Brijbhushan Bhatt on violin (from Alwar, Rajasthan)
from 5.30 AM to 7.30 AM
Jaswant Thada (outside Mehrangarh Fort)
Open to all, entry free

Living Legends of Rajasthan
from 5.30 PM to 7.00 PM
Moti Mahal (Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 350.00 only

Babunath Jogi (Jogia Sarangi - Mewat)
Babunath is a 60 yr old man from Pathoda, Laxmangarh in Alwar district. He belongs to the Goraknath sect. He has the unique ability to recite lengthy epics which are popular in Rajasthan, Haryana, M.P and Gujarat. He hails from a long generation of Jogis (around 500yrs). Jogis go through a formal training, they follow the guru-shishya method of learning.  Ghisa Nath from Ramgarh is Babunath’s guru. Jogis traditionally are not invited to perform as they do on their own as they travel from place to place to share their knowledge. They recite epics on Shiv, Gopichand, Gogaji and many other hindu and folk deities. The jogi plays the jogia sarangi which is mostly accompanied by a bhapang.

Chanan Khan Manganiyar (Surmandal - Marwar)
Chanan Khan lives on the outskirts of a small village called Kanoi in Jaisailmer district. He is the last remaining expert who can play the Surmandal -an instrument that bears a close resemblance to the santoor and is almost extinct. With the masses demanding more up-beat rhythms, this harmonic phenomenon has lost its significance in folk music. Chanan Khan at 55 does not remember the last time he played the instrument in front of an audience.

 RIFF 2011 will witness a presentation of this unique man and his art – our hope is that over time, the playing of this instrument sees a revival.

Hakam Khan Manganiyar (Kamaycha - Marwar)
Hakam Khan is a 68yr old man from Sanawada village in Jaisalmer district. He is known to be one of the few artists who still practices Manganiyar patronage traditions and rituals. He is one of those rare folk musicians who claim to have learned everything from his mother, who took him along when he was young to functions where she would sing with a dholak and he would observe her. He is also one those rare singers who can sing on almost anything like the weather, rain, draught, animals, birds, family, religious functions, sun, moon, fields, etc. Around 30 yrs ago, Hakam Khan sang with a harmonium, when the visionary Komal Kothari convinced him to start playing the kamaycha. He went to Hameera village to meet Shakar khan to learn the kamaycha.  After a few months he was able to do justice to the instrument and was well appreciated for the quality of his voice.

Nemi Baba (Algoza – Brij) TBC
Nemi Baba belongs to Bedham village from the Brij region of Rajasthan. Baba who was a wrestler for most of his social life, renounced his passion, leaving all worldly and materialistic possessions including his family,  to wander the forest on the outskirts of his village at the age of 55. He has spent the rest of his life in a small hut and a temple, playing the algoza to his lord. He believes he only plays for his Lord and when he plays for an audience in sees the Lord in each of them. At the age of 108 he is the oldest active Rajasthani folk musician. His performance at RIFF this year will be the last in front of an audience.
Baba says his Lord has told him to do so.

Main Stage Performances
from 7.30 PM to 9.30 PM
Old Zenana Courtyard (in Mehrangarh Fort)
Entry pass @ Rs. 950.00 only

Sampravaahi: a confluence between two of Rajasthan’s outstanding traditions – classical Kathak of the Jaipur Gharana and the rustic folk music of the Manganiyars of Marwar
(Jaipur/ Marwar, Rajasthan)
Danseuse Anurag Verma and Khartal masetro Samandar Khan Manganiyar accompanied by 15 classical and folk musicians

In previous years, RIFF has presented collaborations between classical and folk music. This is the very first time that Rajasthan’s Kathak from the Jaipur gharana, meets with the music of the Manganiyar community of western Rajasthan.  Sampravaahi, emerges as a result of this confluence of styles and includes some rare and complex compositions in 14, 10, and 6 beat time cycles, with traditional folk, Sufi songs and melodies from the Manganiar tradition.

Anurag Verma is a young and acclaimed soloist of the classical Kathak in the Jaipur gharana. Daughter of noted writer, historian and essayist Vijay Verma, also an ex-IAS and senior bureaucrat and one of the singular-most contributors to the study and understanding of Rajasthani folk arts, Anurag has gained expertise in collaborating through her work with Samandar and earlier Sampravaahi performances.Samandar Khan Manganiyar, son of the late Ustad Saddiq Khan is a virtuoso of the Khartal and is one of the few Rajasthani artists to be able to sing and play the Khartal at the same time. Samandar credits his father Saddiq Khan with having introduced the Khartal to Rajasthani folk traditions and also echoes the fact that he was the teacher of many an established Khartal player.

Vijay Verma and Saddiq Khan knew each other and did projects together, so it seems natural and fitting that their children Anurag and Samandar decided to get together and explore the links, connections and tensions between their two traditions.


Rupa and April Fishes 
(A band from San Francisco - in Spanish, English – USA/India)

Songlines magazine’s artist of the year 2010, Rupa and April Fishes are a truly unique and unusual contemporary ‘folk’ ensemble and RIFF is proud to present them at their first ever Indian performance.

Emerging out from the Bay Area in San Francisco, their music is a provocative and celebratory blend of Latino, African American, Yelamu Indian and Islander music. The band is fronted by Rupa Marya, a physician of Indian descent, who brought a diverse group of artists together to create a form of music that would build connections among the diverse population of the Bay Area. A band that started off playing in local bars, with influences of street music, exotic Latin grooves, Indian ragas and Romani soul, today Rupa and April Fishes have invitations to perform all over the world.

Their new works include interpretations of the songs of Roma (gypsies). The Roma, facing a past and present filled with turmoil, continue to struggle with problems of racism and have experienced mass deportation in Europe. Rupa’s touring across Europe has served as an aid to improve the hardships of the Roma in Europe as well as to create awareness internationally. The tour stands as a positive celebration of the gypsy’s nomadic lifestyle and the joining of multiple cultures around the world.

Rupa is extremely keen to develop artistic links with Rajasthan and India. We hope that this initial meeting will generate exciting, collaborative possibilities for both Rupa and April Fishes and our Rajasthani artists. 

Jasnath ji ke Bhope

Time and venue to be confirmed (in Mehrangarh Fort)

As a first this year, devotees of Saint Jasnath will share a spiritual ritual with RIFF audiences, which will involve their walking on hot coals with the up-tempo sounds of the Nagada and Manjira in the background. Male adult and youngsters of the community evolve this as a practice and ‘perform’ it regularly and fearlessly.

Over the coming years, RIFF will continue to share non-stage acts and rituals of the regions of Rajasthan, where music and dance play a critical role.  

Club Mehran – RIFF Rustle with Jason SIngh
from 11.00 PM onwards
Daulat Khana Chowk
Entry pass @ Rs. 600.00 only

Jason Singh has been coming to Rajasthan for a number of years and has evolved his own appreciation of the work of Rajasthani artists. While he is known in India as a beatboxer, he is a composer, a percussionist, a DJ, workshop facilitator and member of a number of new and exciting projects in the UK and abroad. See http://thesinghthing.com/

RIFF chooses him as our ‘rustler’ this year and he will facilitate the very last Club night at RIFF 2011. He will orchestrate a completely improvised Club Mehran with Rupa and April Fishes, Rajasthani folk artists and whichever artist he would like to invite from those in the RIFF program. And even may involve some who are not!
Well known for his pulsating rhythms, beat boxing and his ability to work with artists of all genres, this night is for dancing and mayhem… and not to be missed!

Dawn Devotions with Ani Choying Drolma (Katmandu, Nepal)
from 5.30 AM to 7.30 AM
The Ramparts of Mehrangarh Fort

Open to all, entry free

Known as the ‘singing nun’, Ani Choying is profoundly admired across the world for the purity of her voice and her deep understanding of Buddhist scripture, meditation practices and a vast repertoire of hymns and chants. A monk and an artist, Ani la performs all over the world; her performance fees go to her independent foundation for young and destitute women in Kathmandu, the Nun’s Welfare Foundation and the Arya Tara School for girls.
Ani Choying brings RIFF 2011 to a close with her mantras, chants and songs. And a special, surprise performance with one of our own Rajasthani Sarangi artists.

Interactive sessions
from 11.00 AM to 1.00 PM &
from 3.00 PM to 5.00 PM
Chokelao Bagh (Mehrangarh Fort)

Entry pass @ Rs. 300.00 only

Visitors to RIFF will have the rare opportunity to engage with and chat about some rare folk forms of Rajasthan through demonstrations and interactions with musicians and artists. As more and more of Rajasthan's rich cultural heritage disappears as new generations turn to other professions seen to be more financially rewarding than their music, RIFF puts the spotlight on some of Rajasthan’s more profound communities, forms and traditions nearing extinction.

Thaalisar (Mewar)
A specialty of the Kathodi tribe, Thaalisar requires the use of a peculiarly traditional instrument which makes use of vibrations to produce beautiful sounds.

Pawri (Mewar)
Pawri is a traditional aero phonic instrument made of bamboo. Pawri performances are mainly held on auspicious occasions as a celebratory act, invoking a primal connection with a higher consciousness.

Bahroopiya (Dhoondhad)
Bahroopiya is an art form involving impersonation with deep roots in traditional Indian performance where the artists make dramatic impressions of Hindu deities, animals, popular figures etc.

Fort Festivities : A variety of traditional dance forms reflecting the distinctive regional cultures of Rajasthan
from 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM
throughout Mehrangarh Museum

Entry for Museum ticket holders and RIFF Full Festival Pass holders

Mavaliya Nritya (Mewar region)
Mavaliya Nritya, a particular of the Kathodi tribe from the Udaipur region, is the dance form that is performed after Navratri in celebration of their folk deity. Sans vocals, it has strong rhythmic instruments and is performed by men and women alike.

Swang Nritya (Hadoti region)
Swang Nritya involves the use of various disguises and decoration of bodies using natural props. Performed by the Sahariya tribe, these themed dances are entertaining and enjoyable, often extremely maverick, played to the audience and for effect alone.

Kalbeliya (Marwar region)
This year, RIFF presents artists from a lesser known Kalbeliya community, who live in the remote interiors of the region of Marwar where women have a strong vocal tradition. Sometimes the women get up and dance to their own songs and rhythms. Generally, the Kalbeliya communities are known as traditional snake- charmers, with some of their dance movements’ close resembling the movement of serpents. The community we are presenting has a distinct style of singing, along with the intense use of the ‘pungi’ and the ‘khanjiri’,

Derun (Shekhawati region)
An unusual performance in a rhythmic style using the ‘derun’, played in appreciation of the local folk deity ‘Gogaji’.  

Dhol Thaali Nritya (Shekhawati region)
Dhol Thaali Nritya is a striking dance form by the Geendar of Shekhawati and Churu where the four beat rhythm beaten out of the ‘dhol’ drum, gradually increases and captivates the audience with its resonating energy.

Tejaji Nritya (Hadoti region)
‘Tejaji’- a local folk deity, famed for his commitment, is commemorated through the recitation of his life stories. Tejaji Nritya is a group dance form to the accompaniment of the harmonium, dholak and a pair of cymbals. Sometimes, a dancer appears on a wood-and-papier-mâché horse, depicting himself as Tejaji.

Children’s corner
14th October
from 10.30 AM to 2.00 PM
Nehru Park

This year we are presenting a special RIFF Children’s Corner for our younger patrons that will feature the following forms:

Jadugar, or the traditional magician. He will present new and ancient tricks for the little ones.

Kathputali (String Puppetry) is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment and amusement. Besides entertainment, today this art conveys meaningful messages in villages while narrating legends, myths and historical events of times past.

Jugglery, with metal balls, pieces of wood, swords, etc. leaving audiences breathless!

Kachi Ghodi is performed on dummy horses, men in elaborate colorful costumes dance rhythmically to the drum beats, while a singer narrates the exploits of the Bhavaria bandits of Shekhawati.

Nat are a nomadic community that traditionally comprises street acrobats who travel as a family from place to place performing various circus tricks and acrobatics.