<p>The recently held folk festival in Rajasthan was an extravaganza that also featured some traditional musical instruments. The three distinct, fascinating beats came from the percussions Nagada, Deru and Chang...<br /><br />Nagada<br /><br />Nagadas, which resemble bowls, are generally played in pairs, like playing kettledrums. The smaller one, called Nagari, is considered a female, and the larger Nagara, a male. The Nagara is twice the size of the Nagari. The metal part of the instrument is manufactured in the village of Samode, 42 km north of Jaipur, and its finishing with skin is completed in Ajmer.<br /><br />A Nagada player at the festival, Solanki, shared that there were once women players of slightly different-looking Nagadas who performed for royalty. <br /><br />Earlier, Nagadas were used to communicate important messages, like the imminent enemy attacks or the arrival of kings. The Naubat Khana, built during Emperor Akbar’s reign, is a well-known drum house from where musicians would announce the arrival of the king using an ensemble of approximately 20 Nagadas. Now, their beats complement Rajasthani dance forms (like Ghoomar).<br /><br />Deru <br /><br />A look-alike of Shiv’s damru, Deru is made of goat skin and has strings to toggle notes. Deru is played in honour of God. At the festival, Derus were handled by a trio of dancers from Churu in Shekhawati. <br /><br />Wearing kurtas and with ghungroos tied around their ankles, they sang Gorakh Vandana (an ode to their local deity, Gogaji) to seek his blessings, along with dancing and drum-beating. <br /><br />I was told that the beats from Deru accentuate the narration of epics, stories and ballads. These dancers are invited to perform during jagarans sometimes.<br /><br />Chang<br /><br />What forms a Chang is a circular, shallow wooden frame covered with leather on one side and the other side left uncovered. The bottom of the palms provide the base while playing the Chang, and the treble is generated when small, pencil-thin sticks are beaten against the leather surface. <br /><br />Chang’s beats denote festive singing and dancing, a tradition from the Shekhawati belt of Rajasthan. The genre ‘Chang Nritya’ gets its name from this principal instrument. Tradition has it that the dancers play Chang on Holi and then burn the instrument. They make a new one every Holi. <br /><br />Incidentally, Chang players are not professional musicians, but farmers who wish to promote togetherness in the community. Sometimes they sit in village chaupal and play for hours.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>The recently held folk festival in Rajasthan was an extravaganza that also featured some traditional musical instruments. The three distinct, fascinating beats came from the percussions Nagada, Deru and Chang...<br /><br />Nagada<br /><br />Nagadas, which resemble bowls, are generally played in pairs, like playing kettledrums. The smaller one, called Nagari, is considered a female, and the larger Nagara, a male. The Nagara is twice the size of the Nagari. The metal part of the instrument is manufactured in the village of Samode, 42 km north of Jaipur, and its finishing with skin is completed in Ajmer.<br /><br />A Nagada player at the festival, Solanki, shared that there were once women players of slightly different-looking Nagadas who performed for royalty. <br /><br />Earlier, Nagadas were used to communicate important messages, like the imminent enemy attacks or the arrival of kings. The Naubat Khana, built during Emperor Akbar’s reign, is a well-known drum house from where musicians would announce the arrival of the king using an ensemble of approximately 20 Nagadas. Now, their beats complement Rajasthani dance forms (like Ghoomar).<br /><br />Deru <br /><br />A look-alike of Shiv’s damru, Deru is made of goat skin and has strings to toggle notes. Deru is played in honour of God. At the festival, Derus were handled by a trio of dancers from Churu in Shekhawati. <br /><br />Wearing kurtas and with ghungroos tied around their ankles, they sang Gorakh Vandana (an ode to their local deity, Gogaji) to seek his blessings, along with dancing and drum-beating. <br /><br />I was told that the beats from Deru accentuate the narration of epics, stories and ballads. These dancers are invited to perform during jagarans sometimes.<br /><br />Chang<br /><br />What forms a Chang is a circular, shallow wooden frame covered with leather on one side and the other side left uncovered. The bottom of the palms provide the base while playing the Chang, and the treble is generated when small, pencil-thin sticks are beaten against the leather surface. <br /><br />Chang’s beats denote festive singing and dancing, a tradition from the Shekhawati belt of Rajasthan. The genre ‘Chang Nritya’ gets its name from this principal instrument. Tradition has it that the dancers play Chang on Holi and then burn the instrument. They make a new one every Holi. <br /><br />Incidentally, Chang players are not professional musicians, but farmers who wish to promote togetherness in the community. Sometimes they sit in village chaupal and play for hours.<br /><br /><br /></p>
