Meet the man who mastered 2500 Mahabharat couplets and an instrument most don’t know

In a modest home in Alwar's Tiger Colony, surrounded by trophies and mementos, lives one of India's most extraordinary folk musicians. Gafruddin Mewati Jogi plays the bhapang, a rare string percussion instrument at the heart of Rajasthan's devotional storytelling tradition. A Mewati Jogi - a Muslim musician who has carried both Hindu and Muslim names across generations - Gafruddin has memorised nearly 2,500 couplets from the Mahabharat and spent a lifetime performing Pandun Ka Kada, keeping alive a tradition few others still practice. He will receive his Padma Shri this evening.