FEATURE

The Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) was held at the Mehrangarh Fort, in Jodhpur, from 13-17 October. An initiative of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation, Jodhpur RIFF is held every year around the same time, so that it conincides with the sharad purnima — the brightest full moon of the year.

The five-day event reached its crescendo with backto- back performances by Rajasthani folk and international musicians, running till late night and stretching into the wee hours with its scintillating dawn concerts. The ninth edition of the festival was aimed at popularising the folk singers and musicians of the region and giving them an international forum.

Speaking on the significance of Jodhpur RIFF, the patron of the festival Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur said, “The Rajasthani folk musicians are at the core of Jodhpur RIFF. It is important that they feel a sense of pride and dignity, a sense of home and are able to present what their peers and elders consider authentic. At the same time, they realise that there are opportunities for them as artists in their own right — to create and to collaborate with exem-