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WEEK of November 7, 2005
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“Namaste!”
Ancient Music of the Indian Desert Celebrated at BFS

by Jeffrey Stanley

On October 20th the Lower School was treated to a special assembly when the musical group Rangeela, straight from India’s Thar Desert, performed traditional folk music and dance from their home region. Eight men in colorful native dress sang and played a variety of instruments while Miss Pinku Nath, a teenage Gypsy from a family of snake charmers, danced in a beautiful sari and traditional jewelry. Mr. Sarwar Khan is the leader of the group, which was hosted by New York-based artist Karen Lukas. Karen co-founded the group more than a decade ago and is traveling with them on their first tour of the United States.

Karen and Sarwar Khan represent the international nongovernmental organization Lok Kala Sagar Sansthan (LKSS) and their US counterpart, a nonprofit organization called Folk Arts Rajasthan (FAR). Together they work to provide humanitarian relief, education, and jobs for impoverished Merasi residents of the state of Rajasthan. The Merasi, which literally means “keepers of the story,” are musicians and storytellers with a tradition dating back centuries.

With members ranging in age from 15 to 50, Rangeela sang in several languages, including Sindhi, Urdu, Hindi, and Sanskrit. “The songs they play and sing are 800 years old, some are a thousand,” Karen told the kids. “They don’t have TV or electricity, so one song is about using the wind to carry a message to someone.” Many of the folk instruments they play are made from common household items and bespeak their poverty—a coffee can and a piece of wire, a pair of long kitchen tongs fitted with small cymbals, a large clay pot.

“The women in their village gather water from a well in these big pots, each weighing 25 pounds when full, and then carry two of these on their heads, totaling 50 pounds,” Karen told the astonished crowd. A clay pot will keep water cool for about six months before it becomes too porous, after which the discarded pot can be used as a percussion instrument.

Other instruments that the group played were more recognizable. The harmonium is a full keyboard similar to an accordion, and is played with one hand and pumped with the other. The kamaicha is a bowed instrument similar to a violin. The dholak is a barrel-shaped hand drum similar to a bongo. The shennai, an oboe-like wind instrument, was a particular favorite with the kids.

The show ended with the group standing and solemnly saying a traditional goodbye to the students by placing their palms together in front of their hearts, prayer style, in a gesture known as pranam. It was accompanied by the greeting, “namaste!” which means “We honor the divine in you.” The students happily returned the greeting before filing out, animatedly recounting what they had just seen and heard.

Rangeela’s visit to Brooklyn Friends is part of their first tour of the United States, which includes concerts at the Smithsonian Institution and Georgetown University. “They have been wonderfully received,” said Lower School Curriculum Coordinator Diane Mackie, who arranged the visit. She first heard about Rangeela from Joanna Vausberg, a former teacher at Media-Providence Friends School. “My conversations with Joanna were unquestionably the most moving ones I’ve ever had in my time here at Brooklyn Friends,” said Diane.

After learning about the plight of the musicians and dancers—pariahs who face humiliation on a daily basis in their own homeland—Diane was surprised to open a scrapbook of Merasi photos from Rajasthan and see a smiling, radiant people. “The pictures of the children were the most compelling. I knew our community would be in harmony with the mission of Folk Arts Rajasthan. In the Lower School we are always looking to acquaint our children with people of other cultures and help foster understanding of the gifts all cultures bring.”

Diane stressed her belief that the arts are a wonderful way to teach children how to live in a multicultural society. Over the years, the Lower School has seen performances from the Chinese Folk Dance Company, a Native American dance troupe, the Peking Opera, and the group Journeys With Sound, which utilizes instruments and music from around the world. “I think the kids respond to music or dance almost independent of the cultural root. They like what they like,” said Diane. She considers these assemblies to be not just part of a Quaker school’s educational mission but “part of our moral charge.”

Karen agreed, calling the arts the common language of humankind. "If we make connection first with our creativity, the conduits are open for bonds and information to be shared by the global community."

Despite teachers’ imprecations to students at the start of the show that they should applaud respectfully but refrain from hollering and foot-stomping, there were spontaneous eruptions of both as the kids expressed their delight throughout the assembly. Their host wasn’t surprised and the musicians didn’t seem to mind. “This is how we build bridges that will last for generations,” a satisfied Karen Lukas said after the show.

CHILDREN REACH OUT AFTER VISIT

After their two morning assemblies, members of Rangeela had an Indian-style lunch in the BFS cafeteria and visited some Lower School classrooms. The group also answered questions from the community that had been emailed to Diane Mackie that same morning. Here’s a sampling of their questions and Karen Lukas’ responses:

What’s their reaction to New York City?
“They have visited several more suburban cities and towns but to them New York City is the "real America." They are awed by the height of so many buildings. Most of them have rarely seen stairs. Everything in their village is handmade so the dwellings are one story. They are amazed that we have a machine for everything. They think dishwashers and refrigerators are incredible. They all passed an ice cube around the table in amazement.

How old are the members of the group?
“The dancer, Pinku, is 17. There was a 15 year old boy and someone in his 50’s.”

What have they been eating in the US? How do they like American food?
“American food is pretty plain for them. They do like pizza, however, but only if they put onions, mushrooms and extra tomato sauce on it and then cover it with garlic powder and dried chili peppers!”

Kindergarten B attached their questions to a beautiful book of drawings they made about the performance. Lukas and the group were quite touched, and promised to email responses.

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