You return to those lines, and they hold the song in place. That’s what a song is mostly.
The songs of Samdhe Khan possess such captivating powers. This eminent artist is from Sam, Jaisalmer, who is carrying forward his family tradition of folk music. He has been learning and performing music from a very young age. He plays the harmonium along with singing. He studied till 10th standard, and after that, he learnt music. He sings songs of love and betrayal, birth and death. He says, “Such is the juxtaposition of artists. We delve into anomalies.”
He is a father of a young boy and a girl, with whom he every day tries to make the cultural heritage. He is very fond of singing traditional old songs about love, lovers, etc. With this, he started his song;
Baage baage hazari gulro phool
(As you go towards your in laws’ home)
Koyal chaali mhaari baaga mein
(We’ll miss you our beloved daughter)
Ithro re jaajo maata ji bhalwo sa rolaad
(Your mother loves you and she will miss you)
Ithro re jaajo bhai re bhalwo sa rolaad
(Your brother loves you and will miss you)
Sakhra re sohan mhaari laad
(Your father loves you and will miss you)
Baage baage hazari gulro phool
(As you go towards your in laws’ home)
Telling more about the song, he mentions how the emotions and love of a young lady are beautifully portrayed in this folk piece. No wonder that artists who render these beautiful lyrics day in and day out get influenced by their spirit, too. He says, “I see my children, and I think that I am not able to give them all that they deserve. Folk musicians struggle for a living. This is a hard reality. I am sending them to school now, but I don’t know when I will be able to take care of them. It makes me sad sometimes.” Samdhe Khan is from Sam village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. He has been following the tradition of singing his folk from the very beginning. He says that after giving birth, their parents hand over them different instruments, and thus, they learn them without any formal training. Such is the music of Jaisalmer, embedded in its golden sand dunes and engraved in every stone of the majestic living fort-city.
Manganiyaar communities like Samdhe Khan have kept their tradition alive through all these years through Guru-Shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition). They have been entertaining the royal families for generations, and their contribution to musical history is as vast as the Thar desert itself. The elegant use of poetry and numerous metaphors is what makes them different. Every nook and corner of Jaisalmer is filled with several Samdhe Khan who are trying to carve a niche with their individual uniqueness. His voice is jewelled with the gems of a semi-classical tone. He sang for us another beautiful song to cover his melancholy with a big and warm smile. This was the song of welcome. Such is the warmth of the Manganiyaar tribes. Perhaps such is the life of these artists who translate their pain into beautiful folk songs. This beautiful song also talks about the warm, welcoming culture of Rajasthan. Samdhe Khan puts this in his melodious voice and sings other songs of royalty, bravery, love and pain. His songs touch a chord strongly but they reach where they are supposed to.
The music is infinite, and the possibilities of his melodies are endless. The music itself is so vast that it cannot be confined to a textbook and standardized, as there are no set standards for learning music which is imbibed in his blood through generations. India is known for its colours and various layers of culture and the culture of Jaisalmer is rich enough with harmonious melodies promulgating in unforgettable renditions. He sings all kinds of songs and all the ragas, amongst which his favourite is Kalyan raag, which is the mother of all six ragas. Samdhe has performed almost everywhere in the country in most of the major cities. He wishes to leave the country and spread the invaluableness of his culture around the world. He wants to make his country proud. He dreams of taking his community and the talent in them to the world and uplifting them. He also sings Sufi and hopes that his songs of prayers reach the one. Someday, he will shower his love and kindness upon him, he says with a great belief. He calls himself blessed to have performed all across the country. But when it comes to making a living, the struggle still exists. It is not easy. Money is an issue, an impediment. But the hope is that people will find them someday on the internet, that someone will notice them and launch them. He will always sing. Whether it’ll give us anything or not. But you do few things because you are born to do that. Music is that for us, Samdhe says.
