From Rajasthan's soul to heart of Himachal

KASAULI: All the way from Rajasthan, Kutle Khan - along with music handpicked from various parts of the state - reached the hill town to give the audience a taste of Rajasthani folk and sufi besides their regular rock and blues on the first day of the Kasauli Rhythm and Blues festival 2015.
Khan, who was at Kasauli with his troupe called the Kutle Khan project, said folk music when presented as fusion can serve a dual purpose - suit the palette of the present-day audience and also help traditional music stay alive."We move around villages of Rajasthan, hear people and then compose our music. Tweaked a bit, it ensures than more people are hearing the music. So I use saxophone and other instruments along with the traditional kartal and morchang of Rajasthani folk music," said the musician who comes from the Langaniyar community of Rajasthani folk musicians.
Khan has collaborated with performers like Susheela Raman and Medieval Pundits. At Kasauli, he was accompanied by troupe members Champe Khan, Magda Khan, Gafoor Khan, Priyank Krishna and Dayam Khan.
Back home in Rajasthan, Khan's foundation also teaches children from the Manganiyar community, which has been into folk music for the past 15 to 20 generations. He feels the advent of internet doesn't affect traditional music. "It does not matter... folk music will never die," he adds.