Zee Jaipur Literature Festival: Of kathas, wandering minstrels and the cello

Thanks to television, primarily Coke Studio, well-heeled listeners — the kind that can pay to listen — are better aware of the rich folk musical heritage of Rajasthan. The Manganiyars, especially, have broken into the world music big league. But Rajasthan has many other folk music styles that haven't attracted as much attention — the Langas, Meghwal singers of Marwar, the Dholis and Bhopa-Bhopi, to name some. Not only have these musicians not found commercial success, they haven't also found audiences beyond the region - which leaves them in danger of dying out. One such little known tribe are the Nath-Jogis, who live in the villages around Alwar. The Nath-Jogis are nomadic minstrels who sing the stories, or kathas, of kings and gods who gave up the material world to become mendicants.

John Napier's They Sing the Wedding of God sheds some light on the tribe. Subtitled 'An Ethnomusicological Study of the Mahadevji ka byavala as Performed by the Nath-Jogis of Alwar', it is one of the very few ethnomusicological studies conducted in India.

Napier, who spoke at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival on day one along with Nath-Jogi singer Kishori Nath, whose performance the book translates and analyses, said: "The Naths or Jogis... traditionally performed an extensive repertoire of kathas — sung and spoken stories".

"Engaging audiences who already knew these stories was central to this tradition: this engagement might be through humour, social commentary, local gossip, or even something approaching sermonising," adds Napier, who is a senior lecturer in musicology at the University of New South Wales, Australia. "The kathas themselves are great stories. They entertain, but at the same time pose existential questions — particularly in the small part of the repertoire that I have studied — around themes of renunciation, responsibility to the world around you versus what you might think of as your 'fate'."

The recent history of Indian classical music is full of artists from the West who've embraced and contributed significantly to it. Napier is no exception. "I became seriously interested in Indian music nearly 25 years ago," informs Napier, who plays the cello. "I began performing with and later studying with the late sarod maestro Pandit Ashok Roy, who had come to Australia 10 years ago. As I was already a professional cellist, he suggested I adapt my technique on the cello to the needs of Indian music. I'll never achieve the nuances of an Indian instrument or vocalist, but I have been able to adapt enough to perform regularly with Indian classical performers, both with traditional and innovative projects," says Napier, who prefers to provide melodic support for vocalists.

Napier's PhD thesis was also on north Indian classical music, specifically on the role accompanists play in vocal music. "When we see a vocal recital, we see a vocalist, whose role is clear, a tabla or pakhavaj player, whose role is also clear, and a melodic accompanist, who is almost always there," says Napier, referring to the sarangi players and harmonium players. "I wanted to understand their 'story'."

But what about the threat to classical music itself from declining interest and diminished patronage? "I am not quite so alarmist," says Napier. "There are changes going on, but one of the strengths of musics that acquire that awkward appellation 'classical' is the ability of such musics, with clear modes of instruction, well understood values of performance, and the artistic complexity to keep performers and audiences engaged (not through a performance but through a lifetime is what I mean), to find a place in changed social and economic circumstances. I don't hear 'declining' in performance standards. 'Appeal' may fluctuate."

Napier's current research project is on the Kodavas, an ethnic group indigenous to the Kodagu or Coorg region of Karnataka. "I am currently trying to learn more about Kodava music and its role in Kodava life. The traditional music of the Kodavas is very subtle, heavily text-based, and seems to be sung for themselves only — it's about themselves and a reflection of who they are," says Napier.