Promoting and Sustaining the Folk Music Traditions of Kachchh
Problem Statement
Kala Varso was founded in 2012 to preserve and perpetuate the rich tradition of Folk Music & Culture of the Kutch region and to provide financial & social security to the Folk Music artists.
The Kutch Folk Music scene saw a rapid downfall since the 1990’s owing to the changing lifestyles of the locals – where economy started taking precedence over leisure. And the industrial and technological development, that too unplanned and sudden, has further hampered and declined the social, economic, occupational and cultural relations amongst local communities.
With no local support, and unable to integrate themselves with the new globalised economies, many of the Folk Musicians have left their traditional occupations and instead taking up jobs as masons, farm labourers to make a living. Such has been the downfall.
The young generation from traditional folk music families are not taking up their music tradition because of the lack of prestige in being a Folk Musician.
The intrinsic pride associated with Kutch Folk Music has been lost. Any intervention to be effective has to tackle that crucial aspect – how to improve the prestige of a musician in today’s context and society of Kutch.
Aim
The aim is to bring back the love and respect the Kutch Folk Music used to enjoy locally in the past.
But given the social context today, although very crucial, it’s not enough just to bring back the interest locally. We should also be able to generate curiosity and interest among the global audience.
Local support ensures respect and pride associated with the Kutch Folk Music encouraging a young Folk Musician to take up his/her musical tradition. While the global support helps in sustaining these Folk Music Traditions and the artists.
What we do
Any meaningful intervention to revive Kutch Folk Music should be more dynamic in nature by getting involved in the cultural and social contexts of the Folk Music and the musicians lives.
The interventions should not only produce interesting artefacts like recordings, exposures, documentations, albums etc., of Kutch Folk Music, but also be able to evolve and align with today’s rapidly changing times and circumstances. Otherwise much of this unique Folk Diversity could disappear in the next 20 years.
This is the reason why we Folk Musicians and villagers across Kutch came together to start Kala Varso – to recognise various social, economical, and cultural influences of the past and present that have played role in shaping up the Folklore of the region, and enable solutions through those influences.