Meet SAZ, the band reviving forgotten songs from the heart of Rajasthan

JODHPUR

It was almost sunset at the Sam dunes near Jaisalmer, where the sand glowed in hues of gold, amber and rose pink. As light gave way to darkness, sound took the place of sight. You could hear camels grunting, crickets chirping, travellers laughing softly, and cameleers coaxing tourists into taking one last ride before dusk.

Amid this desert symphony floated a familiar melody—a Rajasthani folk song I first heard only a few days ago at the hilltop Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur during the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), which completed 18 years recently.

The song was ‘Sundar Gori’ (Pretty Girl)—not an age-old tune but a contemporary composition by the Rajasthani folk trio SAZ, comprising Sadiq Khan, Asin Khan and Zakir Khan of the musical Langa community. That song has garnered more than 8 lakh views on YouTube alone.

In Rajasthan’s musical communities, where every family member practises music and tradition dictates form, a band is unconventional. But what takes tradition further into new territory is composing original music within these deeply rooted styles. And that’s exactly what SAZ—short for Sadiq, Asin and Zakir—is doing, thus preserving and reimagining their heritage at once.

A band is born

Divya Bhatia, festival director of Jodhpur RIFF, first brought the three together for a performance at Yue Opera Town in Shengzhou, China, in 2019. “They came back and told me they wanted to be a band, which was odd, as in Rajasthani folk music, typically there are groups with one person leading and the others transitory,” recalls Bhatia, also the band’s producer. “So I put the condition that all three would be equal. And that I wanted them to learn and grow, so they would have to make new songs, rehearse, record and play with whoever, whenever and wherever.”

Initially, there was the temptation to call it the Asin Khan Ensemble, given the awards the singer and Sindhi sarangi exponent had won, including the prestigious Aga Khan Music Award (2022). But they finally settled on SAZ, which, aptly, means melody.

“Our traditional songs are disappearing, and so is the sarangi (bowed string instrument). People now prefer singing with the harmonium,” says Zakir, the khartal player who recently joined Asin on vocals. “Bollywood music and ghazals—like those of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan—are hugely popular, but our own musical traditions are fading. So we asked ourselves what we could do. With SAZ, we are first reviving the old songs that people have forgotten, the ones no one sings anymore. And we are also writing new songs, so we can give something to the next generation, just like our ancestors [did].”

The trio has now recorded an album.

A seamless fusion

Unlike traditional folk groups where one artiste—often the most acclaimed—takes the spotlight, what sets SAZ apart is the way its members blend seamlessly with one another. None overpowers the other; instead, they balance each other perfectly: Zakir’s flamboyance on the khartal—a wooden percussion instrument, sort of like a castanet—finds its counterpoint in Sadiq’s understated dholak (hand drum), while Asin’s vocals and sarangi bind it all together.

From the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre to The Royal Opera House, Mumbai, SAZ has played on some of the most prestigious stages in India and abroad. Yet, what further reveals their musical depth is the ease with which they cross boundaries, performing as comfortably with jazz saxophonist Rhys Sebastian and Syrian-Swiss musician Basel Rajoub as with Kathak dancer Tarini Tripathi.

Here, Asin emphasises the importance of listening. “There is a lot of difference, for example, between jazz and folk music,” he says. “So listening helps in understanding the other form, which, in turn, enhances our craft as well.”

Traditionally, classical and folk artistes rarely shared the stage—a reflection of the country’s social hierarchies. While classical art forms thrived in elite circles, often upheld by forward caste practitioners, folk traditions were nurtured by marginalised, largely hereditary communities. Yet, when these worlds come together—as they did when SAZ performed with Tripathi for ‘Inayat: A Duet of Four’—the result is sheer harmony, both musical and cultural. Though the trio usually performs seated, they rise to match Tripathi’s taals (rhythm) and chakkars (swirls), with Zakir often breaking into dance himself, his feet and khartal matching the flow of the Kathak dancer.

Pairing folk instruments with Kathak is no mean feat though. “It took a lot of practice,” says Zakir. “We would explain the meaning behind our songs, and she, in turn, taught us about taal and kavit (poetic composition).”

The trio’s performance with Tripathi was as effortless as the one with Sebastian of Bombay Brass and The Bartender (bands) fame. They came together for The Cool Desert Project, a cross-genre collaboration that emerged from Jodhpur RIFF in 2023.

While the sounds of a saxophone and khartal, or a sarangi and guitar, don’t usually share the same stage, the collaboration came together effortlessly at the recently-concluded edition of RIFF as Asin, Zakir and Sadiq performed alongside Sebastian, guitarist Amandeep Bhupinder and pianist Merlyn Dsouza. And as they moved from traditional folk songs like ‘Kesariya Balam’ and ‘Hitchki’ to their own compositions such as ‘Sundar Gori’, sax blended with the sarangi, the guitar with the dholak—the joy palpable on stage and in the audience alike.

“I just love the sound of sax with the sarangi,” says Sebastian, recalling his initial uncertainty about how different instruments would blend. Reflecting on the collaboration, he adds, “It is really credit to them. They don’t just work with me, but with artistes from all over. They are the ones taking the plunge, not only stepping out of their comfort zone but also beyond cultural expectations.”

Bhatia, who initiated these collaborations, says, “That’s what I want to show—that Rajasthani musicians can play and well with a lot of people,” he says. “We are making new songs, bringing back old songs, doing collaborations, trying out new things, new ways of presenting.”

Tradition lives on

In the end, it boils down to the community and to the musical traditions the trio was born in.

“The audience often asks us to present qawwali, such as songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, which we do, but those are not our songs,” says Zakir. “If we will be [famous], it will be because of our folk traditions, which is why, through the band, we are trying to keep them alive.”

Adds Bhatia: “And if you don’t invest time and effort, it is very easy to go the Bollywood way.”

But things are changing, says the trio.

“Kids are interested now,” says Sadiq. “When they hear Asin sing ‘Sundar Gori’, they want to [sing along].”