courtesy--times of india
16 Nov 2008, 0429 hrs IST, Rachna Singh, TNN
PUSHKAR: Twelve years ago, a foreigner visited the Pushkar Fair and was enchanted by the pulsating festivities of the annual event. She was equally enamoured by the epic recitation of Bhopa and Bhopi, a dying art form, by Rajasthani folk musicians.
The foreigner, Mirjam Letsch, met Pappu Devi, hailing from the family of musicians in the fair. “I was smitten by the music and ever since Pushkar fair is on my itinerary every year,” said Mirjam.
Today, the two are knit in a bond that sustains not just Mirjam but also changed the life of Pappu and her family. Meet Pappu Devi, the 36-year-old copyrighted picture postcard face that sells across Europe and America. “I have a contract with Pappu and this is done through fair trade photography. Her blow-ups are put up at photography exhibitions in the world’s best galleries. And every time her postcard or picture is sold, she earns as well,” said Mirjam.
Pappu did not know then that hailing from a small village, Remat, 6 km from Pushkar, she would be a face at the museum in The Hague in an exhibition launched by Dutch Princess Maxima. All that concerns her is that, ‘Any hour that I need money, I can just ask for transfer of funds through Western Union,” she said. For this to come from a village lass dressed in the traditional attire, almost in a veil — to fluently converse in English and talk about the financial transaction of the upwardly mobile was quite unforeseen.
Her eyes lit up as she goes on explaining how she met Mirjam and things started changing for her. “She does not pay me for each picture. But she will do whatever I say. Recently Mrijam got me 30 bighas of land. Sometime ago she got two rooms constructed for my family and she even organized water for us,” said Pappu.
But one thing that Pappu is absolutely unaware of is how her face from Rajasthan is going a long way in feeding the slum kids in Banaras.
“I also wrote a book in Dutch on Pappu and her parents, the exponents of the traditional form of music. The music is recorded and sold in CDs and back home in Netherlands, people rave about it,” said Mrijam.
Meanwhile, Jati Ram, her father, picks up ravantha, his stringed instrument, while her mother sing and narrate the romantic story of ‘Banna & Bani’ a marriage song, for the passersby. Most tourists halt by and hand over Rs 50 to 500 to the couple before leaving.
“I have this on the CD. And it is through the money I earn from the sale of her pictures, music and the book that I fund a slum school in Benaras and provide free food to the children without any government support,” says Mrijam as she calls it a day at the Pushkar fair.
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Rachna Singh
Principal Correspondent
Times of India
Jaipur
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