Rajasthan International Folk Festival opens in Jodhpur

Pic courtesy: Thinkstock image for representation purpose only.

Jodhpur: The ninth edition of the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, popularly known as Jodhpur RIFF, unfolded here on Thursday.

For the first time, the global music connoisseurs will experience lesser known folk music from Brazil and Slavic gypsy music amid the rampart of the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort.

Over 350 artists from across the globe from different genre will perform in solo and collaborative forms in this festival, which has been endorsed by the UNESCO as "peoples' platform for creativity and sustainable development", RIFF Director Divya Bhatia said.

Referring to collaboration of different folk music genres, Bhatia said that in one of the most exotic collaborative performances of this edition, a lead percussionist of Australia Ben Walsh would be sharing the stage with 16 master percussionists of Rajasthan.

The festival opened with the city concert, wherein the Rajasthani folk performers presented their art forms under the open sky of the Ghantaghar (clock tower) for the people of Jodhpur to savour.

The main performances will begin from tomorrow, which will be replete with plethora of national-international and Rajasthani folk artists across various programs and venues in and around the fort.

Bhatia said that some new aspects have also been introduced in this edition, which comprised storytelling and workshops.

The event will also consist of activities like children folk morning, wherein the school children will be apprised with various folk art performances of Rajasthan, and interactive session with the artists, wherein the music connoisseurs will have an opportunity to interact with the artists about their respective expertise.