Musafir, which means traveller in Hindi. Coming from all corners of the mystical region of Rajasthan, the Langas and Manghanyar are renowned wandering poets who sing a wide repertoire of ancient songs from the Thar Desert.
These Musicians of the Court of Maharajas play the sarangi (Indian violin), kartals (castanets) the murchang (Jews harp), the harmonium, the dholak (two headed drum) and tabla
They are accompanied by the Sapera and Kalbelya, known for their snake charming; belonging to the most ancient Gypsy tradition, they live with snakes, the guardians of spiritual truth, and perform devotional dances whose contortions evoke the undulations of the cobra to the sound of the double flute (satara).
The fakir adds daring and more spectacle including sabre swallowing and dancing on nails whilst balancing wooden wheels and other objects on his head .
Together, they present an ethnic and spiritual music, where Gypsy, Hindu and Muslim cultures come together. A music, sometimes very close to the qawwali of Pakistan, on the other side of the border with the Thar desert, in the style of the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
