Shilpgram, the “Craftsmen’s Village” at Udaipur has completed 25 inexhaustible years of exhibiting Art, Craft and Culture from all over India, all under one roof. During this journey of 25 years, several artists have accompanied Shilpgram right from the first year – performing and enhancing their talent as Shilpgram grew to the globally renowned Cultural exhibition that it is now.

I found 5 such magnificent groups of musicians who sing and play different traditional instruments and have been instrumental (sic) in entertaining a number of people from the last 25 years. Shilpgram has effectively been one such platform which syndicates these brilliant artists from across the length and breadth of the country.

Bhupa-Bhupi Group: A man and his wife, famously known as Bhupa and Bhupi are playing a traditional musical instrument Rawan Hatta at Shilpgram from the past 25 years.

(Bhupa) Sugaram who basically belongs to Jodhpur used to perform with his father at Shilpgram since he was a child and now comes along with his wife, Mavari who is known as Bhupi and their son Buddharam.

Sugaram with his wife has travelled to many countries like England, Scotland, France, etc. to give live rendition of his art. Sugaram says, “If people come and listen judiciously to our music, it is the only thing which gives me immense pleasure, while it breaks my heart when they move while we are still playing.”

Rajasthan Paramparik Band: A band of 6 men, who hail from Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) present an Indianised version of the orchestra, playing Bagpipes, Shehnai, Dhol, Thaali and Jangi and have been active folk musicians performing at Shilpgram since the last 25 years. Kanhiyalal, a band member said, “Shilpgram is the only fest where we come to perform every year without fail, otherwise we are too occupied to attend other festivals.”

Ramnath Chaudhary: Blessed with the unique talent of playing the Algoza with his nose, this exceptional artist from Jaipur enthralls the audience with his art and is also a Sarangi player. He has been to US, Japan, Germany, England, Middle East, and many other countries to display his unique art. Ramnath wears a 10 feet moustache and heavy jewelry which has 26 coins from countries he has visited. Ramnath says, “When ex-US President George Bush came to Jaipur, he just loved my talent and invited me to America.”

The Great Gazi Khan and Party: A group of Rajasthani musicians awarded with the Marwar Ratan and the Bhupal Award are from Barmer and are another band playing at Shilpgram for the last 25 years. They play Dholak, Kamucha, Harmonium and Hartal.

Gazi Khan is the lead singer of the band who has composed the very famous Bollywood song ‘Nimbuda’ (from the movie Hume Dil De Chuke Sanam). One of the group members, Ruma Khan said, “We move from place to place the whole year to exhibit our art but never miss out on coming to Shilpgram.”

Bhapan Group: A group of 5 people from Alwar present the traditional Rajasthani songs by narrating the stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Sindhi Bivla, etc. They also depict socio-economic problems through their songs. ‘Bhuppa’ is the main instrument they play other than Harmonium and Dholak. Jumma Khan, a group member said, “I used to start playing here with my Guru Ji; he is no more but I formed my own group now.”