The Lost Music of Rajasthan

An observational film for BBC Imagine – a road trip round the desert state of Rajasthan, meeting traditional musicians whose existence is under threat in the new India. John Singh and the annual RIFF festival at the Maharajah’s fort in Jodhpur aim to help these usually low-caste musicians earn respect and a decent living in their villages, as well as putting them onto a national and an international stage.

We meet cross-dressers and dancers, Bhopa bards who recite four-night-long epics in front of huge hand-painted scrolls, saffron-clad, chillum-smoking sisters who rarely leave their courtyard – a revelation.

‘A joy of a programme!’
Radio Times

‘… fascinating, the kind of thing I pay my licence fee for.’
The Arts Desk

REVIEWS

• The Arts Desk
• The Guardian