THE
FESTIVALOnce a year during winters, the sands around Jaisalmer come
alive with the brilliant colors, music and laughter of the Desert Festival.
Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and
sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. The fair has snake
charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play
a stellar role in this festival, where the rich and colorful folk culture of
Rajasthan is on show. The festival closes with an enchanting sound and light
show amidst the sand dunes on a moonlit night.
The Jaisalmer fort
provides an ethereal backdrop to the annual desert festival. Sponsored by
the Rajasthan State Tourism Corporation, this festival is a joyful
celebration of the traditional performing arts and creative crafts of
Rajasthan.
CELEBRATIONSA few days before the spring full moon
according to the Hindu calendar, musicians, dancers and performers from all
over Rajasthan start moving in colorful camel caravans towards the golden
town of Jaisalmer, which dons a festive look. The otherwise barren landscape
is splashed with vibrant colors marking the opening of the Desert Festival.
The 12th century fort of Jaisalmer, built in yellow sandstone, provides a
fairytale background. Over the years, the desert dwellers in their solitude
have woven a fascinating tapestry with threads of music and rhythm and the
Desert Festival is a celebration of their heritage. It is a chance of a
lifetime to see the folk art forms against the landscape that has nurtured
them for hundreds of years.
With the arrival of the artists, a delightful series of
programs begins in and around Jaisalmer. There is music everywhere and at
every given hour. Through the winding lanes of the fortified town to the
sand dunes and even the rivers of abandoned villages, the music casts a
potent spell. Beginning at sunrise, it reaches its zenith under the umbrella
of the star-studded sky. Though it is mainly a festival of the performing
arts, there are several other events that give a glimpse of the desert
culture.
Through the day, visitors can come face to face with the
desert craftsmen. Exquisitely embroidered skirts, hand-woven shawls, rugs,
carvings on wood and stone, camel decorations, embroidered leather bags,
ethnic silver jewelry and terracotta are brought in from all over the
desert. These skillfully achieved crafts are objects d’art for the
handicraft buff.
Evenings are meant for the main shows of music and dance. Vibrating desert drums
can be heard for miles around. Nearly all the variations of performing arts
of these desert people are displayed. Continuing till late into the night, the
number of spectators swells up each night and the grand finale, on the full
moon night, takes place by silvery sand dunes.
.......
.......
Although the basic design of the festival remains the
same, each year there are a few new events. Some of the most spectacular and
memorable shows of past festivals have been the dream-like pageant, “Blood,
Blade and Romance” on the sand dunes recreating the legendary past; the
camel tattoo of the Border Security Force, which has a highly trained camel
corps to guard the western border; and the pulsating folk ensemble of a
hundred musicians.
RITUALSCamels are not just beasts
of burden but an integral part of the desert life and the camel events
confirm this fact. Special efforts go into dressing the animal for entering
the spectacular competition of the best-dressed camel. Interestingly, there
is a folk song to describe the making of the camel’s necklace–the
Gorband. Camel owners vie with each other for winning the camel races and a
feeling of pride is discernible both in the eyes of the owner and his mount
that wins. To add some more fun and color, the camel show has two unique
events – the camel polo and the camel dance.
Other
interesting competitions on the fringes are the moustache and turban tying
competitions, which not only demonstrate a glorious tradition but also
inspire its preservation. Both the turban and the moustache have been
centuries old symbols of honor in Rajasthan.
Keeping the moustache
twisted upwards meant keeping the pride intact while drooping moustaches
conveyed complete surrender. Tying a turban is not only an intriguing
tradition but an art as well. Varying styles of tying the turban and colors
describe the caste, region and also the occasion. To the viewers, it appears
complicated but those who have inherited the tradition tie a turban out of
meters of cloth at the blink of an eye.
LEGENDS Unlike the major festivals of
Rajasthan, the desert festival has no legends to recount. It is a created
event but the music traditions of the desert are so fascinating that
conceiving the musical festival came as almost a natural solution for
facilitating their preservation. It was also inspired by the Music Festival
of Salzburg—though totally different in concept and content. Both the
towns exude music and have a heavy inflow of tourists. But unlike the
Salzburg Festival, the shows of the Jaisalmer Festival are not ticketed.
Sponsored by the state tourism corporation, it has been designed to promote
tourism in the enigmatic Thar Desert.
Once the festival is over,
it certainly leaves behind a nostalgic feeling. Some connoisseurs of music
have been to the festival more than once and there is a tourist from Holland
who has attended the festival four times.
Today, this traditional
extravaganza is a coveted event for music lovers—the performers as well
as the listeners. For the performers, it has become a prestigious event to
participate in. It has also helped find new talent and expended patronage to
many artistes.
REGIONAL CELEBRATIONSJaisalmer is the
only place where this desert festival is celebrated with great zest and
zeal. Rajasthan being a popular tourist destination, the festival adds to
its color.
PLACES TO VISITIn order to witness its
colorful festivities, one must visit Jaisalmer, the golden sand dunes where
the festival takes place every year.
World
Of Rajasthan 
