Future-proofing the Langa-Manganiyar heritage

An initiative aims to record and digitise the unique musical performances of the folk artistes of Rajasthan hit hard by the pandemic

Considered the repository of the Thar region’s rich history and traditional knowledge, the ballads, folklore and songs of the Langa-Manganiyar artistes are being preserved through an initiative for documentation and digitisation. The project is aimed at saving the rapidly disappearing narrative traditions of these communities.

The Jodhpur-based Rupayan Sansthan, established by eminent folklorist, the late Komal Kothari, and writer Vijaydan Detha, has extended support to the initiative taken by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology at the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) in the research project.

The Langas and Manganiyars are hereditary communities of Muslim musicians residing mostly in western Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer districts and in Pakistan’s Tharparkar and Sanghar districts in Sindh. The iconic and internationally acclaimed folk artistes have, however, been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic that stopped their performances in India and abroad and poses a challenge to the very survival of the popular art form.