Global hit: Indian folk opera revival
Around the world, indigenous music is struggling to survive in its original form and location. But sometimes, music that fades in one place, say, Northern India, shows up in another place, surprisingly far away. From Hayward, California, Lonny Shavelson has more.
Audio slideshow: Indian folk opera in CA
Imagine acres of plowed farmland in India. Thousands of farmers and their families are sitting or lying on the ground. At ten at night, the crowd pushes back to make a circular clearing. Gas lanterns are lit, a dozen or so opera singers, actors and dancers prepare to perform until dawn – and you have a nautanki…a Hindi folk opera once wildly popular in northern India.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.