” Mooralala Marwada- A Heart Throbbing Voice “
Music heals everything.. It has the potential to make an individual a unique kind of own self. It brings life to living. It possesses attractive qualities. In short, it has always been giving moral, spiritual, and emotional support to its listeners. Many of the livings have made music their only craze and source of living. They believe they breathe music.
A similar and one typical ‘Desi’ example showing the effect of music on one’s life, especially the one dealing with lively troubles with the hope of music. He is none other than Mooralala Marwada, a Sufi folk singer by occupation, belonging from the Janan village of the Kutch district of Gujarat. Marwada hails from a long line of Meghwal singers of the village. He belongs to a lineage of Meghwal singers, who migrated from Rajasthan to Kutch about 300-400 years ago and now settled in the village of Khadir Bet in Kutch. According to him, he is an 11th generation singer having his musical instrument with him namely ‘RAM SAGAR’ (Sitar / a typical folk instrument of the pre-modern times) believed to be nearly 130 years old but still loud and clear.
He recalls that he was just 8 years old when he heard the ‘Sitar’ for the first time and it enchanted him so well that he couldn’t even sleep. It had a deep and lasting effect on him. He easily follows up the tunes of the Nirguni Bhajans, traditional folk songs & Sufiana Kalaam. He also tells about his teenage job of working as a labor on daily wages. And singing the Aradhi bhajans at nights which gave him a lot of spiritual energy. Later he was praised by the foreigners and the tourists and visitors and via them got lots of opportunities and platforms to give his voice and himself an identity. After which he went on heights of the folk musical world.
Once you listen him, you may experience the striking qualities of his singing that are irrepressible and complete with infectious joy! He also has a tremendous habit of bursting into any song when any inspiration strikes him. Not mattering the place wether in a bus or in a street or on a phone call. He flawlessly starts singing anywhere he feels. And that’s a quality of a die-hard passionate singer!
Few of his famous works are:
Banjara– with Maati Baani
Hiye Kaaya Mein with Mati Baani
Asvaar from the Gujarati movie Hellaro!
Vari Jaun – Coke Studio @ MTV Season 2
KUTCHCHHI CHHALDO with De Kulture Music.