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Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) brings together a mix of eclectic talents from across the world. There are quite a few illustrious names connected to this festival – from Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar-Jodhpur who is the chief patron of the festival to Mick Jagger, who happens to be the international patron. While Jagger only turned up for the first edition in 2007, after six long years, RIFF 2013 saw the 70-year-old bad boy of rock ‘n’ roll again.
RIFF brings together hundreds of musicians and performing artists from across Rajasthan and around the world. For five days in October each year, these musicians celebrate their musical heritage and create new sounds through innovative collaborations. The festival guarantees some of the most sensational performances from local artists and artists from other parts of the world. From the moment the sun sets, heavenly music starts flowing through every corner of the Mehrangarh Fort, getting the crowd ecstatic with the true spirit of Rajasthan.
Mehrangarh Fort Festival Jodhpur, is timed to coincide with the brightest full moon of the year in north India, the Sharad Poornima. Jodhpur RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around Mehrangarh Fort. The centre of attraction of the event are performers, storytellers and artisans from many Rajasthani folk communities. Artists of national and international repute collaborate with local artists and fusing root music from around the world. The programmes include interactive events, live performances and jam sessions, apart from special devotional concerts. Vocal recitals, folk mornings and dawn and sunset devotional concerts complete the performance schedule. Traditional Rajasthani folk, jazz and gypsy dance music feature on the Rajasthani International Folk Festival evening programme.
The Mehrangarh Fort stands 400 feet above the skyline of Jodhpur and is a truly breathtaking festival setting. One of the largest forts in India, Mehrangarh Fort is located in the heart of the city of Jodhpur. The fort has a long history and was the home of many great warriors and is an integral part of Rajasthani culture and history with its intricate carvings and wide courtyards. Every year the fort comes alive with sounds of dholaks, guitar riffs, songs and dance. The festival welcomes people to experience the vibrant folk culture of Rajasthan. The festival in the past few years has acquired quite some significance on the nation’s cultural calendar. The five-day festival witnesses a bouquet of interesting performances, which have been lined up besides the regular folk fiesta that is part of the festival every year. One of the interesting performances in 2013 was that of Maya Kamaty – a fifth generation Indian based out of Reunion Islands, a French island in the Indian Ocean. Kamaty’s music affirmed the kinship between Indian music and her native Maloya (the melodies have an uncanny similarity with Indian ragas and scales). Maloya music has been named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Then the Spanish-French music legend Manu Chao, who on his first India performance, unleashed a cascade of crazy numbers withgenres such as reggae, ska, punk, French chason and Algerian Rai. This year the festival is being held from October 8-12, 2014.
