4th Jodhpur Rajasthan Internal Folk Festival in Oct

JAIPUR: The fourth Jodhpur Rajasthan Internal Folk Festival (RIFF), which combines traditional Rajasthani artistes with contemporary India, will be held between Oct 12 and 16 in the desert state. It will not only bring together some of the best folk musicians, but also provide a platform for them to take a leap and make a mark on international arena.
Hundreds of musicians and performing artists from across Rajasthan and around the world will come together at the splendid and culturally rich heritage site, Mehrangarh Fort, to celebrate their musical heritage and create new sounds through innovative collaborations.
“First year was 2007, but in 2008 there was a calamity in the fort just 10 days before the event and we had to cancel it. So we had to restart the festival in 2009,” Divya Kumar Bhatia, the director of Jodhpur RIFF, said.
Jodhpur RIFF, which has patrons like legendary Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger and erstwhile Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur, also focuses on providing source of livelihood for the traditional artists of Rajasthan.
“Last year eight Rajasthani artistes, who have performed at the festival in the previous years, got a chance to show their prowess at the 6th Itunes Festival in London. Not just that, this year three traditional artists have been invited by the Edinburgh International Festival , which started in 1947 and is the oldest music festival,” Bhatia said.
“This is for the first time that Rajasthani folk artists are presenting a folk performance at this international festival. Never ever have Rajasthani artists performed there, so it's a big first and it came across because the artistic director came to Jodhpur RIFF and saw the performances,” he added.