The Manganiyar Seduction

The Manganiyar seduction was first created for the Osians to open the film festival in Delhi 2006. The success of the show got the show on the road.. This project allowed roysten to collaborate with the Manganiyar musicians for the first time. The concept creates a dazzling union between the Manganiyar's music and the visual seduction of Amsterdam 's red light district. The sets are a combination of the Hawa Mahal and the Red light district of Amsterdam. It can also be compared to a magic box. 43 musicians are seated in 36 red-curtained cubicles arranged in four horizontal rows one on top of the other; and the concert begins when a single cubicle lights up and the first singer begins his song. Soon another cubicle lights up and then another thus creating a dramatic and astounding build-up of musical instruments and voice as young men, women, children and the elderly of the Manganiyar community take you into a world which is even beyond yours or their own. The Normal practise is to take and use music for theatre but here Roysten reverses the process and uses theatre to create magic in music.

The Manganiyars are a caste of Muslim musicians who are predominantly settled in the districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Jodhpur, in the heart of India’s Thar Desert.They traditionally performed for kings, but over the years support for their music has shifted from kings to other wealthy patrons. Their repertoire ranges from ballads about the kings to Sufi poems written by various mystics. They also have songs for various occasions such as births, marriages and feasts. In the 1970s the late ethnomusicologist Komal Kothari discovered the Manganiyars and gave them a new life in contemporary times. Even though they are classified as folk musicians, the traditional music of the Manganiyars is classical, and it clearly indicates the roots of classical music in India. The rawness of the folk juxtaposed with the complexities of classical music is what makes their music so special.

While directing a play in Spain in 2006, I was accompanied by two Manganiyar musicians who formed part of the company. They would follow me and play music in all the places I went, most of the time overlooking the decorum of that space. I would wake up and sleep to their playing over the course of a fortnight, during which time a strange psychological event took place. Having left for Germany to direct another production, I realised that I missed the music so I would call them and ask them to sing over the phone. I was totally seduced.

Returning to India filled with inspiration, I wanted to translate this seduction into a physical realm. For some reason, my experience made me think of a red light district, bordering on the burlesque inside my head, heart and body. I thought of windows in Indian palaces where women folk would view ceremonies or processions while unwittingly becoming the subjects of voyeurism themselves. For me, these windows came alive with musicians.

I went to Jaisalmer and auditioned a thousand musicians, from whom I selected 45. The Manganiyars were not accustomed to rehearsals and I was attempting to translate an experience into a piece of theatre. So, all we could do was to be open and let the ephemeral take form. We got into the process of understanding and trusting each other over a three-year period before arriving at The Manganiyar Seduction. But even after hearing it a thousand times, it still has the power to seduce me.