Rajasthani Folk Musicians Perform For Intimate Wedding Crowd
By Sara Athar
On the relatively chilly evening of January 19th, The Kutle Khan Project took to the stage at Prestige Golfshire in Bengaluru to perform for an audience of about 1,000 members who were gathered for a wedding ceremony.
The Kutle Khan Project is a collective of Rajasthani folk and Sufi musicians. Their performances are a culmination of an informed fusion of Contemporary Indian and Western musical traditions.
The set began with the customary greeting “sat sri akal” and acknowledging of the audience in which Khan thanked them for being witness to his form of dedication to “the one above.” He then moved on to introduce his band members or as he said it — his “saathiyon.” (companions)
The mellow fusion of the harmonium with the beats of the mridangam slowly joining in were the first sounds the audience heard as the band slipped into character with their first song of the night ‘Avo Sajani Avo.’
The lush lawns of the 18-hole golf course and the string lit palm trees behind the stage made for a perfect backdrop for the passionate emotions in Khan’s vocals. The audience seemed absorbed and Khan and his band managed to hold unwavering attention for their 70-minute performance.
An ardent follower of Indian Classical and Fusion music, Karan Khader said he considered the performance an absolute treat and an honour to be a part of.
“Typical old Manganiyar songs, a full moon night and this Baithak setup. It’s safe to say the show went well,” he said.
The stage was set in such a way that two musicians were standing while their four fellow band members were seated. It was set to give Kutle Khan the spotlight while his bandmates on the keyboard, harmonium, the tablah and the mridangam were strategically placed around him to aid his soaring vocals with the melody of the instruments.
‘Ant Behardi’ was followed by ‘Hicchiki’ and ‘Mere Dil Mein Sama Jaa Mere Mollah Mollah’, one of Kutle Khan’s original compositions. The concluding track ‘Dama Dum Mast Kalandar’ is a track that Kutle Khan often uses to close his set and had the audience on their feet enthusiastically clapping to the rhythm. The energy that the band exuded seemed to radiate and engulf the audience and evidently climaxed at the very last song.
Maalvika Nirhali, someone who’s never seen the band live before nor heard their music said she was impressed by the performance and would undoubtedly recommend the band to her friends.
Kutle Khan bases his music on his traditional Rajasthani roots but draws inspiration from his own musical experiences and his diverse collaborations. He has performed with established musicians such as Midival Punditz, Amit Trivedi, Karsh Kale and Kailash Kher and is also a recording artist for Coke Studio.
“Everything I am is because of my father, Jethu Khan. I started learning music with my own community people. I was very good at playing six to seven instruments,” he said. “I started collaborating with other bands and some renowned international artists but I was eager to start my own group. I went door to door scouting talent. Every artist in the band plays 2–3 instruments. Everyone is well-versed with Rajasthani music, but we give a new form to Rajasthani music. We’ve infused saxophone, flute and Sufi music with Rajasthani music.”
For Kutle Khan, one of the problems in the industry right now is the lack of originality and an understanding of the context and origin of the Sufi tradition. He has quoted on more than one occasion and lives by the motto that “Nothing in the world is compared to a spirit that stands tall, emerges on its own strength without drawing anything from others, but in turn partaking in a process called entrepreneurship that leads to inspiring stories of independent-minded people and their spirit.”
“There are only a select few who know the true meaning of Sufi. Mere troupe ke baad bahut bands ban gaye hai. (After my troupe there have been many upcoming bands.) But we want the level of music to be 100%.”
