Here are 25 amazing pictures from the Thar Desert Festival Jaisalmer 2016

From the outside, Mala ki Dhani, a quaint village in the north of Jaisalmer, will look like any typical Rajasthani village in the midst of the desert, with mud houses, camels tethered to cots and women, donned in vibrant colours, doing their daily chores.

But as you go closer, you will hear some music, not necessarily Indian folk, and a closer look will reveal a myriad of cultures, ethnicities and a jamboree, celebration of music.

You will see people from different countries making music, blending it with Indian folk. That’s Thar Desert Festival, Jaisalmer 2016 for you.

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A three-day event held from September 2-5, organised by John K-Town from Sydney, saw musicians, travellers, artists on the village land and the music fest had some amazing jamming sessions.

John has also opened up a guest house in Mala ki Dhani to generate employment for people, whose major source of income comes from rock cutting.

But, if you think it was like a regular music events with LED lights, stage and podium, you are on the wrong tangent. In this festival, the stage is the desert and the light is the starry-sky.

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Apart from Indians, there were Italians, Chinese, French, Israelis, who had a variety of musical instruments, some of them never heard of, and gathered at Mala ki Dhani for the love of folk music.

Anas Ali, who was also a part of the event, said, “It was only word of mouth. There was no publicity about it and whosoever we invited for the event, came along with their friends, friends of friends. That’s how the festival became a huge hit.”

The event will be organised again in February. If you are a travelling musician, this festival is worth a visit. After all, not all who wander are lost, some make music.

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To get a glimpse of how the event was, here are some amazing pictures from the Thar Desert Festival


(Images: Anas Ali)