Maharaja Flamenca

Maharaja Murad Khan Langa

Maharaja in Bakuza

Barnawa Maharajas

Queen Harish

Maharaja Flamenca

2 half moons make one full moon...

The adventures of MAharaja in Andalucia.

MAharaja met guitarist Paco Jarana, singers Arcangel, Segundo Falcon, Enrique Soto and percusionist Antonio Coronel, these artists are the musicians of dancer Eva la Yerba Buena.

The premiere was presented at Womex 2000 in Berlin and was reported to be the highlight of the world-music conference's showcases, encouraging enough to tour all over Europe and North America in 2001 and to prepare a first album and shows in 2002.

MAharaja is also featuring on Segundo Falcon first CD, Al Compas de Sombra.

Maharaja Murad Khan Langa

Ustad Murad Khan Langa is the master double flute player of Rajasthani heroes MAHARAJA.

To celebrate Murad's 50th birthday and 45 years of musical excellency, Murad presents his first solo CD.

He names his instrument aloogoza, others call it Pava Jodi, it consists of a melodic flute and a drone flute played with circular breathing.

Murad surpass all musical conceptions, while playing, he will take from you any reaction: a smile, a look, an emotion and return it back in an explosion of tribal serenity.

Murad is currently performing on all MAharaja worldwide tours.

photo © Luis Banuelos

Maharaja in Bakuza

Project initiated by Azzouz and visual artist Don
Carlito Dalceggio in collaboration with numberous G4 music creators worldwide as Subluna, Mukul, Mutamassik, Professor Shehab...

This is a nocturnal urban transformation of Maharaja's music and visuals into erotic, illbient Oriental images, sounds, modern
geishas,living and material installations for Nomads on wheels who can travel very far...

This is also a remix CD, or a compilation of various remixed feelings about Maro Jailo, an
opium induced erotic tale of Cobras making love in Indian desert, a rupag on raag Malkosh, Parbati.

To become a MAharaja, ask for the sound files on protools system and create a remix.

illustration painted and designed ©
Carlito Dalceggio and Tomate

Barnawa Maharajas

Langas, Masters of Jhangra
A Shamanic Hypnose

The Healing sounds of Rajasthan desert

Langa is understood as " soul soother ", a cast of poets, singers, Sindhi Saarangi players and double flute " Pawa Jodi ", genealogists…

They are settled in the district of Barmer, west Rajasthan since a dozen generations

Their repertoire is composed of some hundreds of songs, called under the musical term of Jhangra.

photo © Joan Tomas

This musical form is rural and anterior to urban classical music forms, the development of a Jhangra song evokes a sort of primitive Dhrupad

Jhangra, understood as " scales fighting ", <jung raag>
Jhangra, or the name that bears this mythical singer and poet, son of Nabi Mohamed and Oura.

The Langas have an exclusive agreement with their patron (jaajman), the Khaled from Sindh, the Langas are the musicians, genealogists and the living oral memory of this familly of farmers, cattle breeders and land owners from Sindh, in exchange, they feed and host the Langas on their land.
The Langas live in a village called Barnawa Jagir, an old prosperous village on a desert crosspists which used to be ruled by both Muslim Sindhis (Khaled) and Bhaktis Rajputs until the invasions of the Menas from Mont Abu.
The Khaleds and Rajputs fighted together against the invador but all Rajputs died on combat… Today some Rajputs relics are still standing at the entrance of the village.

The Langas and Khaleds are exclusively Muslims.

The Khaleds invite the Langas to play for life passage ceremonies and chill out times.
The Khaleds are very sensible to hear the superimpositions and the whirling echo of the same sound key played by the saarangis, the flutes and the voices.
They also like to hear the praises of their ancesters.

All night the Langas will answer the special requests of the Khaleds and will play them epic poetries and sufi litanies until the extasy caused by the magic of these sounds and ... by some opium, get the Khaleds asleep…Before leaving in the morning, the Langas will play some popular rajasthani songs to the kids.

These musical and poetic sessions get us so far away from the popular Rajasthani repertoire. These songs and melodies are only kept and played by the Langas (some 30 artists) and solely performed to an audience of Khaleds (some 50 peoples).

These sessions have psychoactive virtues controlled by the musicians and their insolent virtuosity. Starting from simple melodies and exploring irrepressible ornementations, modulations, rhythmic changes and suggested repetitions… this eventually brings us back to the prehistoric fondations of North Indian Classical Music but 100% brings us in a state of total desorientation by exploiting all of our fluid and strenght of concentrations and perceptions.

The Langas do not use percussion instruments

Queen Harish

" My Dance looks better in a woman dress "

Whirling, Dancing Indian Desert Drag Queen

Teacher of Indian Gypsy Dance

Rajasthani folk dance is the most colourful, richest and most communicative living folk dance tradition of India, it portrays numberous styles and deeply rooted traditions, such as Kalbelya, Teratali, Bhawai, to name a few…

Indian dance is mostly symbolised today by the Bhollywood industry, it portrays thousands of dance figures ranging to classical, semi classical, folks all mixed in a very theatrical way.

While at home in Jaisalmer, India, Harish teaches Rajasthani dances to selections of tourists

Advanced international dancers regularly visit him to attend master classes

Harish also flies for teaching Indian Gypsy Dance and other Bhollywood workouts at Dance Workshops worldwide

Queen Harish was the international guest of honour at the 2002 Orientalia Middle Eastern Dance Festival in Miami Beach, there he gave solo performances and teached to advanced Middle Eastern dancers

Harish Kumar has Learned, teached, fusioned and performed Middle Eastern dances with Tamalyn Dalal, Kaeshi Bellyqueen, Natacha Atlas …

Harish also approached and performed Flamenco dance while accompanying his colleagues on the Maharaja Flamenca project

Queen Harish is also featuring on numberous printed commercials worldwide

Festivals, Dance Schools, Photogaphers, Film Makers, Designers, Publicists, Club Party Conceptors and Dance Students, be thrilled by a whirlwind of colours emphasized by the warmest winks and experience the richest and most communicative living folk dance tradition of India, entertained and teached by a unique and wonderful first class artist, Queen Harish

Click here for more Queen Harish updates & galleries

Famous Citations :

Now I paint like Queen Harish, the Whirling Indian Desert Drag Queen, Now I hold in my hand the dance of the Cobra - Carlito Dalceggio, famous painter, Bakuza

Queen Harish Kumar and Sayari Sapera, dancers of Maharaja were my greatest inspiration for Gypsy dance - Dalia Carella, famous belly dancer, NYC

BEAUTIFUL BABY ! (repeated many times...) - Dah Len, famous fashion photographer, NYC

Cover Story :

…During the intermission the Rajasthani ensemble of Maharaja sits behind his display of CDs and Indian goods for sale. Queen Harish, the outgoing and flirtatious dancer stands in the middle of the table, sandwiched by two New York-based British filmmakers making a documentary about the tour. The dancer introduces herself as Queen Harish and poses her hands for pictures à la Madonna’s " Vogue "…

read full story