9th edition of Jodhpur RIFF unfolds on Friday

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan International Folk Festival, popularly known as Jodhpur RIFF, that was conceived with the idea of promoting the talent of Rajasthani musicians and vocalists by bringing them on a common platform as renowned international artists, will see its ninth edition unfold on October 23, at Mehrangarh Fort.
For the next five days, the Blue City is all set to come alive with a range of cultural events.
The opening day will see events like the foot-tapping music by the Algoza party, performances by male dancers, Jumma Jogi's bhapang, poetry, wisdom and vignettes by many other Rajasthani and international performers.
Festival director Divya Bhatia said that the main attraction of this year's RIFF will be the performances by two Grammy winners Yosi Fine, one of the world's foremost bassist, and Wouter Kellerman.
According to Bhatia, it was because of the popularity of the festival that the Rajasthani folk arts and the artists have been widely recognized by the global music aficionados, which was our main objective behind this festival.
"Apart from our most recent tours to Spain, UK, Australia, Germany, France and South Africa, we are beginning to tour India as well, with shows scheduled for Kolkata and Bangalore later this year," he added.
Meanwhile, patron of Jodhpur RIFF and the erstwhile ruler Gaj Singh II said that the Rajasthani artists are slowly, but surely, being accorded the respect and position they deserve, which is a clear indication that Jodhpur RIFF's pioneering effort is beginning to show results.