“Song of the Dunes” (The Langas)

“Song of the Dunes”

(The Langas)

Legend has it, that there was once a small Rajput boy in western Rajasthan who loved music. One day he saw a procession of musicians passing by. Fascinated by their music he followed them, and begged them to teach him. He was told that he could learn, but only if he converted to Islam. Determined to learn, the boy converted to Islam-and the first Langa was born.

The Langas are a community of folk musicians, who live, and have lived, for many centuries, in the western desert region of Rajasthan. The Langas are today mainly settled in the village of Burnawa in Barmer district of Rajasthan. Burnawa is set upon a large sand dune, and commands a view of the surrounding scrub and sand desert. It is a collection of huts-mud and straw- golden brown and a perfect foil for the colourful ghagras and odhnis of the women, and the bright turbans of the men.

Music is both vocation and passion for the Langas. Langa children begin to sing almost before they can talk-for music is everywhere. It is a part of the warp and weft of their daily lives. They sing ballads, love songs, marriage songs, sawan, holi and bhajans, with equal ease. Many of the Langa songs are based in a rich tradition of classical music.

The Langas practice Islam and belong to the sunni sect. They offer prayers at the Dargah of their ‘Pir’ in Ratnapur, near Barmer. Those who can, make the pilgrimage to Ajmer, to the Dargah of Kawaja Moinuddin Chishti – the Gharib Nawaz. Their marriages are colourful occasions with much music, dancing and merriment. The ‘nikah’, like many other celebrations is a quaint combination of Hindu and Muslim traditions. A synthesis of Marwari customs and Islamic rituals.

The Langas live in the Marwari style of other neighboring villagers. The dress, language, and cultural traditions are region specific, and this has ensured a high degree of harmony between the Hindus and Muslims. They share festivals, and celebrations, and the Langa music with its wide repertoire is a constant.

Today the Langas seem to be caught between two worlds. Their music is very popular and tourism and the media have catapulted them on to a much wider canvas Radio and television have given them recognition, and perhaps saved their music from dying out. Many of then travel to, and perform in, various capitals of the world- London Paris, Moscow and others. Name fame, money and glamour has given them the incentive to preserve and perfect their music and to value the importance of their inheritance.

Even today, the Langa`s heart is still firmly entrenched in his simple hut in the shimmering sands of his village. It is the freezing winter dawn, flaming sunsets, the burning summer sun and, the shadeless Khejri tree of the desert, that have shaped and given depth and emotion to their music. And it is the new generation of Langas that will carry forward the glorious tradition of their ancestors