Performers
Some of the desert’s oldest songs live in the voices of a single community. This interactive session is an introduction to the musical heritage of the Mirs from Pugal, Rajasthan. It begins with an algozha piece showcasing the region’s iconic double flute. The evening then opens into a storytelling piece with pictures from the Thar Desert, moving on to a performance with three generations of Mirasi musicians.
Drawing on the songs of the desert mystics across languages and folk practices, their repertoire spans the Bhakti and Sufi traditions. From Saraiki songs to those sung in regional dialects, this slowly fading tradition carries the sounds of the land and the stories of its people.
Credits:
Curation & Storytelling: Meghal Sharma
Vocals & Harmonium: Mir Rajak Ali
Vocals, Tabla & Algozha: Mir Abdul Jabbar
Tabla: Rahul
Percussion: Shahrukh
Supported by:
Venue: Seminar Halls
Performers
Rajak Ali
Mir Rajak Ali is a Sufi singer from Pugal, on the desert edges of Bikaner, carrying a singing tradition shaped by inheritance and lived practice. His repertoire draws from the Sufi and Bhakti lineages of Bulleh Shah, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, Kabir and Meera. Shaped by listening to elders, gatherings and oral poetry, his voice carries a living musical tradition where poetry, place and desert memory move together.
Abdul Jabbar
Mir Abdul Jabbar is a senior musician of the Mir community from Pugal, Rajasthan, carrying a musical lineage shaped by the desert for generations. An accomplished tabla player with over thirty years of practice, he spent more than a decade performing with Mukhtiyar Ali’s group. He also sings from his folk lineage and is the only known alghoza player (a double flute) in his region. A natural storyteller, Jabbar holds a wealth of knowledge and lived stories that preserve the memory of his community, its folk traditions and desert landscape.
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