A Journey Into the Desert (2009)
It started with a journey. In 2009, founder Ashutosh Sharma travelled deep into the Thar Desert of Rajasthan — not as a tourist, but as a listener. Armed with recording equipment and an insatiable curiosity, he set out to capture the voices of folk musicians who had been singing for generations, yet remained unheard by the wider world.
What he discovered was extraordinary: Manganiyar and Langa communities whose musical traditions stretched back centuries and were the oral historians of the land with songs on virtually every walk of life from rains/droughts/various seasons/weather, folklore/social structure /stories of the kings/bhajans/kalaams. A large part of these stories were disappearing with the masters and the art of making the instruments these masters played on were disappearing, and all this required urgent documentation and an effort to revive these art forms.
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"We didn't go looking for music. The music found us — in courtyards, under starlit skies, in the homes of musicians who had never seen a recording studio but carried entire histories in their voices."
Those field recordings became the foundation of something bigger. During this time, Ashutosh realised there was an urgent need to document the folk-song repertoire of senior musicians, because the next generation knew only a fraction of those songs.
The catalyst for ASPA's founding came when masters like the late Padma Shri Sakar Khan revealed a crisis: the last traditional Kamaicha maker in India, Shankara Suthar, had abandoned his craft — as there were no orders — and was making sofas in Pune. Ashutosh realised this work went far beyond what Amarrass Records alone could carry (and might not itself be for-profit), so he acted immediately and founded ASPA — officially established in 2010, registered as a not-for-profit under the Indian Societies Act, as the non-profit wing of Amarrass Records — with a singular vision: to ensure that India's folk music traditions don't just survive, they thrive.
ASPA enabled Shankara to return to his life's work, a lineage now proudly carried forward by his son, Mahender Suthar.
ASPA's inaugural moment came with the groundbreaking production of "The Manganiyar Seduction" at Purana Qila, Delhi — a spectacular performance that introduced audiences to the raw, unfiltered power of desert music.
The Birth of ASPA (2010)
Kamachi Revival Project
The revival of the Kamaicha with Shankara Suthar, the last known Kamaicha maker in India, is a cornerstone of our work. It was when recording at home Sakar Khan when he mentioned that there is just 1 Kamaicha maker, as the rest do the touristy jobs; later this was confirmed by the late John Singh of Jaipur Virasat Foundation.
At the time, Shankara was making sofas in Pune!! Adding to the work of archiving music, I realised revival of the instrument making was crucial to this work and since all this work was not-for-profit, we started Amarrass Society for Performing Arts. We called Shankara back to Jaisalmer and gave him an order of 2 kamaichas to be made under the supervision of Sakar ji, and the revival began!
Morchang making
-The Art of the Morchang Experience the raw resonance of a hand-crafted masterpiece. Forged in a traditional mud-pit kiln with goat-skin bellows, every morchang by Mohan Lal Lohar is a testament to centuries of craft.
From Field Recordings to a Living Archive
Our core belief is simple: we work with the last remaining keepers of these centuries-old traditions — craftsmen, singers, poets, and musicians — to preserve and disseminate their knowledge and skills, and to train the next generation. Over the years, we have assembled and revived one of the country's most comprehensive collections of Rajasthani folk music, including:
Rare Songbooks / Field Recordings — hours of authentic performances captured in villages across Rajasthan.
Visual Documentation —
photographs and videos preserving the context, the faces, and the places.
Instrument Studies —
technical documentation of traditional instruments such as the Sarangi, Kamaicha, and Morchang.
We don't just document — we advocate. ASPA works to ensure fair compensation for folk artists, international exposure through global festivals and showcases, and sustainable careers that allow musicians to practise their art with dignity.
Padma Shri Sakar Khan with sons Ghewar and Darra perform “The Train,” marking Jaisalmer’s rail arrival.
Barmer Boys perform “Pir Jilani,” honoring Sufi saint Abdul Qadir Gilani with Mangey Khan on vocals, rooted in tradition.
Jalal Khan and family reinterpret Bulleh Shah’s Sufi poetry, keeping tradition alive.
Sakar Khan and Firoze Khan perform “Minaro,” showcasing traditional kamaicha and dholak.
Bagga Khan and Meisa Ram perform a soulful Meera bhajan from the Thar desert.
Hakam Khan and Roshan Khan perform “Antariyo,” a traditional Manganiyar song from Rajasthan.
From Field Recordings to a Living Archive
We don't just document — we advocate. ASPA works to ensure fair compensation for folk artists, international exposure through global festivals and showcases, and sustainable careers that allow musicians to practise their art with dignity.
We Preserve
safeguarding rare songbooks, recordings, and musical knowledge before they disappear.
We Digitize
converting fragile physical archives into accessible digital formats.
We Share
making our collection available to researchers, musicians, educators, and the public.
We Inspire
empowering the next generation to learn, perform, and carry these traditions forward.
Connect with Us
Want to learn more about our local movement or have a question? We're here to listen and engage with you.
Reach out to us to be a part of the conversation and together, let's build a better future.