Bhopa Musicians
Work Initiative Programme
The Bhopa are the storytellers and musicians of the Gypsy castes. Historically, they travel the region with the Phad, a mobile temple for the folklore God, Pabuji and sing in a couple, man and wife, the adventures of Pabuji. Sometimes these would last all night for a week. There are two blogs on our blog page about the Phad and the instrument, the ravanahatha.
The Ravanahatha and Work
Work Programme and Culture
Around Pushkar lake, at Sunset Point, in Pushkar Market and out in the desert where all the horse, jeep and camel rides are situated, you will find Bhopa men walking and playing the ravanahatha. This string instrument accompanies singing and dancing, evoking age-old times and showcasing Bhopa culture.
Work Programme
Papu Bhopa
This is a promo Video we made for Papu. He is an excellent player and singer of the Phad. Many Bhopa are not literate and find social media hard to navigate. However, they are still seeking work and when word of mouth is not enough, our work initiative hopes to bridge the technical gap and promote them and their culture. We hope you enjoy their offerings.
Making the instrument
Khrisna's promo video
This is Khrisna's video promotion. He make ravanahatha's too. So does Papu. Khrisna and Papu are from the Railway village.
In Bhopa Basti, out in the desert, Ghasi and Ram make beautiful ravanhatha's as well. It is a long and truly artisanal process. Some older models are very sought after. It is thought to have been the precursor to the violin.