Bengaluru: For the Mir musicians of Rajasthan, the struggle to keep their heritage alive only seems to add sweetness to their mystical tunes. Based in the Pugal region of Rajasthan, these musicians sing songs of love as the basis of all relationships - with God, nature and every living being.
Being the hereditary singers of the Sufiyana Kalam, Mirs have been known for their passionate renderings of the compositions of Sufi mystics such as Baba Sheikh Farid, Sain Bulleh Shah, Hazrat Shah Hussain, Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Ali Haider and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.
Their audiences cut across boundaries of religion, caste and language. “We sing to the Gods. It doesn’t matter whose vanis we put into tunes. It could be Meera Bai, Kabir, Surdas or Gorakhnath,” said an emotional Mir Bassu Khan. He is a part of one of the last remaining families that still practices the art.
They sang at the royal courts and festivals alike, where the villagers gathered around bonfires. In return for their performance, the Mirs were paid in kind, reminisces 43-year-old Mir Abdul Khan, another member of the family. However things changed after 1985, when the Indira Gandhi Canal came into being in Bikaner. Many of their patrons lost their lands and found it difficult to pay them. “Suddenly, they didn’t have land, and we didn’t have an audience,” Abdul Khan said.
Things got even worse after extremism crept into Islam. “The maulavis believed that music wasn’t a part of the religion,” he added. The family gave up music to find work as tourist drivers, labourers and did other odd jobs.
However, one afternoon when Abdul saw his 12-year-old son playing tabla adeptly, without any musical training, did he realise that music was in their blood and they should revive music and train the younger generation.
Their songs are mostly in Siraiki, a dialect of West Punjab which has strong affinity with Sindhi and Punjabi. “Our ancestors spoke in this language and so do we, and it defines our culture,” Abdul remarked.
Where: Freedom Park, Seshadri Road, Gandhi Nagar
When: Jan 23, Monday, 7.30 pm
