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Snake Charmers, Part 1 The bus from Udaipur careens precariously along winding mountain roads, climbing towards Mt. Abu, mountainous honeymoon haven for thousands of Indians. Mt. Abu cradles a lake on top of a ridge, with a view to the horizon a short hike away. Delicate, translucent marble carvings fill Dilwara, a nearby Jain temple complex. The Brahma Kumaris Spiritual University sits on a hillside, its followers decked out in white and smiling in the bliss of the point of light, the center on which they meditate. One day I hike up a dry hillside to the Maharaja of Jaipur's old summer palace. He must've chosen Mt. Abu as a retreat from the intense desert heat of summer. Hordes of honeymooning couples have since followed his lead. The palace is empty, desolate, quiet. I notice two men walking around nearby, surveying the layout and the vista, and am drawn to them. Jason introduces himself as hailing from Los Angeles. He is working to bring Indian folk musicians to folk music festivals in the United States. He and his Indian companion are scoping out the Maharaja's old summer palace as a possible location for a video on Sapera music. "Sap" means "snake", and "Sapera" is the snake charmer caste, a caste of musicians in India. Gulab Nath Sapera is his companion, who, on seeing my interest, offers to demonstrate his musical ability. I jump at the opportunity. We go back to their hotel, which coincidentally is the hotel I'm staying at with my Slovenian friend, Brane. I grab Brane and we head over to the Sapera's hotel room. Gulab Nath plays the pungi, an instrument with two reeds which snake charmers use to coax the cobra out of its basket. Sitaram plays the dholak, a percussion instrument with animal skins covering both ends. Ramudi Sapera is the heart of the troupe Ð she dances the dance of the cobra. At the moment, she is nursing her small child.
Gulab Nath playing the pungi and Sitaram playing the dholak. The musicians explore different themes, bouncing ideas off one another, building energy. Sitaram's hands blur, the skins at each end of the dholak heat up with the fever, the rhythm intensifies. Click here to hear Sitaram playing the dholak and using his voice to mimic the beats of the dholak. Be sure to listen to this entire track - he really gets going! The pungi joins the crescendo as Gulab Nath belts out his passion. They alternate with solo riffs. Sitaram uses his voice as another rhythm instrument to mimic his intricate, furious beats, which draws delighted cries from Ramudi's child. Ramudi dons her cobra dress, black with bright yellows and reds, white and green, a veil, beads of these colors and turquoise blue, and bells around her ankles. Click here to hear the snake charmer dance. You can hear Ramudi's ankle bells as she dances. Be sure to listen to this entire track!
Ramudi Sapera dancing the cobra dance. Her movements become the cobra that the music woos, and she seduces the music, arms twisting gracefully around her form like twin cobras coiling one about the other. The impromptu concert has left us floating. The Saperas live in Kalakar Colony, an artists' community in Jaipur. I agree to contact them there if fate brings us together once again, and hope it does.
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