Jasol

Jasol is the hometown of former BJP Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. He was ejected from the party for his republican tendencies. Jasol is about an hour West of Balotra. We visited the former curator of the Mehrangarh Trust's museum there, as well as a few temples. That weekend (the 6th of March) happened to be a festival commemorating the rule of Rawal Mallinath and his wife Rani Rupade.

Rupade is a revered folk saint. I thought I had written down her story when I was told it in broken English, but I can't find it anywhere. All I know for certain is that she reached out to untouchables and is remembered for this act.

Rawal & Rupade

The Mehrangarh trust's former curator in his home. I wish I had a photograph of the mosaic he'd made, depicting Jaswant Singh surrounded by his party enemies in lilliputian miniature form.

Later that night we headed for Jasol proper, to see a small Ger concert. This was much better than the concert we were to see the next night in Balotra. I've also found some notes I wrote:

Ger dancing is a kind of martial dance traditional to Rajasthan. Dancers dress in lancer uniforms–white, suspended martial dresses with a thick, long cotton skirt. Orange, yellow or red sashes are often used, but not always.

Dancers move in a circular formation around two drummers. One with an approx. 6'' brass cymbal who hits it with two wooden sticks (this provides treble), the other hitting a large, common-type bass drum often seen in marching bands, except with an animal-skin surface.

The dancer's have a set routine, based around a single rotation of the drum. The Gera hold a staff in either of both hands, usually about 3-4' long. The staffs are made of anything from wood to metal to bamboo. Every 3-4 strides, the dancers hit their staffs together or against the outstretched staff of their neighbor. This creates a rhythm which is harmonized by the drums in the center of the circle.

Note the beautiful canopy in the pictures below.

Next, the women came up and provided a performance. Sometimes I think they only do this to make the men feel better about their own music.

Afterwards an actor came up and provided a monologue. He sounded something like Donald Duck on a serious amount of stimulants.

One of the preoccupations of the Gera we met in Jasol was with the material of their dresses. Apparently more than 50 years ago a material was used which gave a much better impression when used in the dance. Knowing our connections with textile factories, they were probably interested in JVF finding and sourcing a new material for their dress.

This man had one of the old dresses:

The heavier fabric means the skirt swirls out dramatically during the dance.