Songs from the Desert

"Folk songs of Rajasthan are disappearing in my lifetime, " says IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent Sunita Kasera. She remembers a time when the songs of the earth, people and seasons were ubiquitous. Festival, the town fair, weddings - these were occasions when traditional folk songs were heard. They have now given away to Bollywood music. But a group in Karauli has been organizing a musical festival each year. It attracts not just lock folk artists but from across the state. Rajasthan is home to one of richest musical heritages in the country. Traditionally, the art was passed down from one generation to the next and kept alive. With new professions and forms of entertainment on the rise, the newer generations choose to not learn folk music or instruments. The artists hope that by organizing events like this different groups will begin to take a more active interest to ensure that this legacy lives on.
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