Nathu Khan Bagadwa

This Grant was Terminated by IFA and the Grantee is ineligible to apply to IFA in the future.

This grant supports senior folk musician and teacher Nathu Khan Bagadwa develop a systemised teaching-learning process for folk music with a particular focus on the Maand, a form for which the Bikaner region is particularly known. He will select 15 youngsters, in the age group of 10 to18 years, from the 20 families of folk musicians that live in Jamsar, near Bikaner to be trained by him and assistant teachers on a daily basis. To support this process, performances of selected senior musicians of the Maand will be recorded and workshops organised with senior artists, students, local artists, and parents.

Thirty senior musicians will be invited to record their songs. The aim is to collect up to 100 hours of recorded music as a resource for the teaching sessions. These recordings and the workshops that will be held every quarter will act as a bridge between the senior musicians and the learners. The students will also be introduced to musical instruments and music techniques that are not part of the tradition.

To ensure that parents have a say in the entire process, regular meetings between the teachers and parents have been planned. Interaction with parents will ensure accountability of those who will train the students. A CD of students’ performances will be created towards the end of the grant term, and will serve a dual purpose. First, it will be useful as a motivation tool for the students and will acquaint them with the recording studio environment. It will also serve as a testimony of Nathu Khan’s success as a teacher and will be circulated among parents from the musician community in the hope that they will become interested in having their children trained in music.