Kalbeliya and Gair dance at three-day Marwar festival attracts foreigners in Jodhpur

Jodhpur recently played host to the three-day Marwar festival, which had hordes of foreigners participating in the various events and contests. Dedicated to the musical legacy of the Marwar region, the festival is organized every year on Sharad Poornima. The opening day was a mélange of folk music and Sufi sangeet with Delhi-based artiste Sonal Kalra’s Sufi rendition. The audience also caught a glimpse of performances of Kalbeliya and Gair dance with the famous floral Holi.

The second day was a more fun-filled experience with various competitions for the foreign tourists and local people. The tug of war between Indians and foreigners turned out to be exciting as people cheered for their respective teams. There was a beauty contest to select Mr and Miss Marwar. Locals flaunted their mooch during the moustache competition, and the turban contest had firangs turn out in colourful pagdis. This was followed by a classical musical evening – where sarod player brothers Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali Khan performed.