Doha: As 40 Manganiyars — a community of musicians from the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan — came together at the Katara Amphitheatre with their traditional instruments, including the dhol, tandura, morchang, khartal, algoza, murali, sindhi sarangi, and kamaicha, they wove a magical world of music that left the audience spellbound.
Renowned director Roysten Abel’s The Manganiyar Selection was presented by Qatar Creates (QC) as part of its Fall/Winter 2025 season and ongoing Evolution Nation celebrations at Katara on Monday, October 27, 2025. The 80-minute performance — a fusion of music, theatre, and visual artistry — was staged in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, India.
The show, which debuted in 2006, has captivated audiences around the world — including at the Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and the Barbican in London — with Qatar being the 25th country where it has been performed.
The stage is set up with a four-storey structure with 36 red-curtained boxes, each adorned with bulbs that illuminate when the singer or musician inside begins their performance, makes for a visual feast. Soon, another cubicle lights up as another performer joins in, creating a visual drama through a gradual build-up of musical instruments and vocals. The conductor of the show, Devu Khan, barefoot, dances around with his khartal, builds the tone for the whole musicale, at times involving the audience to join in.
Doha-resident Vandana Raj, who was at the musical with her family, said that she had watched their performance previously in Saudi Arabia. “The experience is so beautiful that my daughter who was very small when in Saudi wanted to revisit the show this time in Doha,” she added. For Lebanese resident Ziad Flaihal the purpose of visiting the musical was to introduce his son to different cultures across the world.
Renowned director Roysten Abel during the interview. Pic: Alexandra Evangelista / The Peninsula
Director Abel told The Peninsula that he was first serenaded by two Manganiyar performers in Spain while working with itinerant artists. “One was Devu Khan, who is the conductor of the present-day show, and the other was Mame Khan, who went on to become a big star later. These two musicians would follow me around, singing their songs, which went on for weeks,” he said.
Abel then moved from Spain to Bonn for another theatre show, Othello, and noticed a change within himself. “When I went there, I realised that something had moved me, and I would call them from Germany to listen to their songs. I was in this fantastic state of music,” he said.
On returning to India, he presented the idea and received the go-ahead from the organisers of a film festival to do a show with Manganiyars. From there, he went to Jaisalmer and selected 50 artists from over 500 who auditioned, creating the initial framework for the show. “The team further worked on it for a year to bring it to about 80 percent of what we are today,” Abel added.
The artists performing in the show range in ages from 20s to 70s and belong to the Manganiyar community.
The Manganiyars are musicians from the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer in Rajasthan, with the music passed on from generation to generation without any formal teaching.
The audience at Katara gave a standing ovation to the artists, as the music and theatre deeply moved them. German expatriate Gerda loved the show. “I have been to similar musicals, and I love India, so I wanted to watch this show. It was very beautiful and the atmosphere was amazing,” she said.
“What the audience experiences is something they have never experienced before. The show manages to create a visceral connection, allowing each person to feel their own emotions in a beautiful way. And of course, there is the spectacle — the surprise, the drama — and the Manganiyar music is so special, so piercing. Even now, I keep listening to them, and it’s never enough for me,” said Abel.
