Kehne ko tinkon ka guccha
Kone mein padi tucch ek vyastu
Par choti cheez nahi ye jhadoo
Ao tumko aj bata dun
Koi banaye tinka jod jod kar
Koi patke, jhade, chain paye ise tod kar
Kisi ke liye bas safai ka hathiyar
Kisi ki rozi roti ka adhar
Waise to ye dhool utare
Par kitno ke ye bhoot utare
Kahin bhent kahin khud bhagwaan
Har nukkad badalti iski pehchaan
Ghar angan ka alag hai jhadoo
Khet mein alag, Kachre ka alag
Har upyog ke chote bade hain jhadoo
Har khadhya-ann ki ghaas se bante hain alag akriti ke jhadoo
Koi bade prem se banaye khaas kalakriti ke jhadoo
Aise hi kahin jhaduon ka sangrah hai
Arna Jahna Maru Sanghralaya
Maru Jiwan ke kahin pahluon ka
Hai ye ek jiwant vidhalaya
Aiye ap bhi miliye is jhadoo ke jadoo se
Janiye kitne jeewan jude hain
is tuchh lekin kamal ke jhadoo se
Yes! I’m fascinated by Jhadoo. It's like enchantment. And No, I’m not out of my mind. Nor am I talking of the whichcraft broom. Before you give me that ‘duh’ look you’ve got to experience this yourself. It takes a visionary totally attached to his roots and a folklorist of unparalleled knowledge to make a museum on something as neglected as a broom. In our urban lives, we would not stop to give a second thought to brooms. How many kinds of broom would you know of; one that we use in our households or maybe two, max four. But think of a place that exhibits hundreds of its varieties. And these are from only one state, Rajasthan. Imagine how many more kinds of brooms exist in the entire country!
I visited the Arna Jharna Museum, the Desert Museum of Rajasthan almost 4-5 months ago but the place still lives fresh in my mind. Since then I’ve been wanting to write something on the museum but couldn’t come across any fitting description for the spectacular experience. And then one day this words came from nowhere and the very next day I was punching wild on the keys of my comp. Ten minutes and I had a printout in my hand and a smile on my lips! But then there’s still so much to this museum than the poem itself.
The visionary behind the museum was Padma Bhushan Late Shri Komal Kothari, a renowned folklorist. His organisation, Rupayan Sansthan has been committed to the documentation of folk performing arts of Rajasthan since six decades, besides the development and maintenance of this museum. Spread over a scenic hilly locale enroute the Jodhpur Jaisalmer highway, Arna Jharna museum does not even look like a museum from outside much less inside. It’s like visiting a farmhouse. Enter inside and you’ll feel you’ve entered a typical Rajasthani village. There are two exhibition modules, made in the shape of mud hutments. The first one is Jeewan Rupayan which is where the vast variety of brooms is exhibited. Inside one are the brooms used inside the home while the other displays those used on the outside. The brooms have been very beautifully placed in the respective settings like a mini kitchenette, granaries. Likewise there is a goat pen created in the other hut. Each broom has a tag describing, the grass it is made of, its crop zone, its usage and specific region in the state it comes from. A bigger scrap book provides further details on each broom.
The third hutment is a conference cum projection room where one can see interesting documentaries on the significance of brooms in the lives of people. Startling facts from small villages of Rajasthan and their by-lanes re-affirm the fact that brooms are indeed a big deal. I could go on and on!
Loads of knowledge to digest, beautiful locale, excellent glimpse into the desert culture, this place is a photographer’s paradise. I think I could spend a year there in solitude, come up with my own collection of beautiful pics and an entire book!
Can’t wait to be there? But before you pack your bags for Jodhpur, visit their website www.arnajharna.org
Contact them on the given no. or email. There’s loads that can be done there. Nature and culture enthusiasts, eminent folklorists have been regular visitors to this place. The museum has been witness to several cultural events and folk performances before. So what are you waiting for now? Go ahead, book your date with culture and the bounties of nature are sure to join in!
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