We would like to ask you for some help with the payment of the monthly medical bills for Dara Khan Manganiyar, one of Rajasthan’s most talented musicians today.
Dara Khan was born in 1979 in the Thar desert of Hamira, a village near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, as the third son to the late Padma Shree Sakar Khan, who was perhaps the most highly respected kamaicha player of his generation in India. Dara grew up under the tutelage of his father from whom he had not only inherited his outstanding musical talent but also his predilection for the kamaicha, a traditional Rajasthani bowed lute with a resonance case made of mango wood. This is reputed to be one of the most difficult instruments to master (students of this instrument need a rigorous music practice of at least three years) and nowadays there are very few carpenters left who possess the sufficient skill for building kamaichas. These are some of the reasons why the new generation of young Manganiyar musicians instead mostly prefers to learn playing instruments that require fewer skills, such as the harmonium.
This trend is now being reversed with Ustad Dara Khan’s commitment to passing on his skills free of charge to young students through an NGO he created for this purpose in 2012: “Kamaicha Lok Sangeet Sanstan” (The Kamaicha Folk Music Institute). Dara feels that the new generation must never forget the rich musical heritage of his Manganiyar caste (a caste of hereditary musicians of the Thar desert that used to perform at the Rajput courts and continues to perform for their Hindu patrons as well as international stages) and not only is it his ambition to pass on his musical skills to young people but to teach them to play the old ‘grand songs’ passed down by the ancestors as opposed to the ‘chote gane’ (small songs) about cars or other meaningless things that the children hear in the city. Dara’s plea is that the Manganiyar children receive a proper musical education as in the olden days and learn to play the instruments from the heart (“dil se”).
Anyone who has the honor of listening to the haunting sounds that Shree Dara produces with his kamaicha will surely feel elated. The Rajasthani Rags (ragas) that Dara perfoms are reputed to be based on the same principles as Indian classical music.
In 2011 Dara’s health was failing and he needed a kidney transplant (his kind wife become a donor). Since then Dara only has one kidney and he needs monthly medication in the value of around INR 20-25,000 (USD 300) per month for the rest of his life.In spite of being a renown and highly accomplished musician who has won several awards, and performing on national and international stages, Dara finds that his medical bills present too much of a strain on his resources, especially as his opportunities for concerts and public performances were much less since COVID.
Anyone wishing to contribute to Dara’s plea please make your donation via PayPal to info@andeanspiritlodge.com and send us a note to inform us. Every little bit helps Dara and his family, and to keep this wonderful musical tradition going. Thank you!
Dara himself can be contacted at: +91-9828966248