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| https://www.folkartsrajasthan.org/ |
New York-based Folk Arts Rajasthan (folkartrajasthan.org) and India-based Lok Kala Sagar
(LKSS)-meaning “local folk arts society”-are nonprofit organizations joined since 2005 by a
shared vision of a thriving and just future for The Merasi people and their unique musical
culture. The Merasi of northwestern India carry a powerful legacy of 38 generations but they
also carry the burden of the still-enduring caste system. To reclaim an identity as storytellers,
the Merasi of Jaisalmer have shed the derogatory caste label Manganiyar, meaning beggars.
The name Merasi, instead means musicians, and is a symbol of self-determination.
The FAR-LKSS collaborative approach recognizes that education, preserving this intangible
cultural heritage, and achieving social justice for a continually marginalized people are mutually
dependent goals.
In the face of obstinate hierarchical norms, FAR and LKSS are together nurturing a generation
of ambitious and capable youth with their programs. Significantly, two FAR scholarship girls,
Sitara and Mobeena Khan, participated in a 2014 US-based international science conference,
after their project won awards at both local and state level in Rajasthan. In February 2015, a
troupe of Merasi youth traveled to Mumbai to play in the prestigious Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
and exchange cultural activities with students at a variety of schools.
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