Malang Folk Foundation
Folk First.
Always.
Malang is not just a spirit — it is a framework for justice, joy, and sustainability through
culture. Rooted in Rajasthan, working across India, walking with its communities.
Bikaner, Rajasthan
Established March 2024
Section 8 · CIN:
U88900RJ2024NPL093368
Who we are
A social enterprise that puts folk communities first.
Malang Folk Foundation (MFF) is a cultural social enterprise committed to the nourishment, promotion, and evolution of folk art and culture. We believe that cultural communities are not passive bearers of tradition — they are active agents of resilience, economy, and creativity.
Malang works at the intersection of cultural heritage and livelihood, music and dignity, story and structure. Our work spans the documentation and celebration of Rajasthan's folk traditions — archiving folktales, musical practices, traditional instruments, oral narratives, local arts and crafts, and intangible cultural
heritage.
"The Malang spirit embodies and retains the intimation of wisdom, carried by artists and artisanal communities through generations in the form of folk music, dance, art, craft, theatre, food and life practices."
— Gopal Singh Chouhan, Founder & Director
We build platforms, not stages. Relationships, not just events. And we walk with communities — never aheadof them.
The story
Born from 17 years of walking.
Before MFF was registered, it was already alive — in the Rajasthan Kabir Yatra that Gopal Singh Chouhan founded in 2012, in the field documentation of oral traditions, in the relationships built over 17 years of travelling through Rajasthan's villages and deserts. Formally registered in March 2024 as a Section 8 company, Malang Folk Foundation is the institutional home for work that has always been rooted in a simple belief: that folk wisdom is not a relic to be preserved under glass — it is a living, breathing, relevant force that deserves dignity, economy, and a future.
From the dunes of Pugal to the streets of Osaka, from heritage havelis in Bikaner to classrooms where children learn to play the dholak — this is where we work.
Vision
A thriving intergenerational ecosystem where Rajasthani folk music and its communities flourish with dignity, economic stability, and cultural integrity — not as relics, but as living, evolving traditions.
Mission
To empower Rajasthan's folk music
communities by preserving living
traditions, enabling knowledge
transmission, restoring artist
dignity, and building long-term
sustainability through structured
programmes.
Approach
Holistic, community-driven, and
entrepreneurial. We revive the
Guru-Shishya Parampara through
Fellowships and build Creative
Ecosystems with economy at the
core, one community at a time.
What we do
Six ways we work.
MFF's work spans six areas — each grounded in field relationships, each designed to sustain rather than
extract.
01 — Fellowships & training
Guru-Shishya Parampara, reimagined
We onboard master musicians as Ustaads, provide monthly remuneration, and build structured music training programmes for children and young people in their own communities.
04 — Heritage conservation
Stone and sound alike
Working alongside Lokayan Bikaner on the preservation of historic havelis, heritage walks, advocacy with government bodies, and the integration of intangible heritage into cultural programming.
02 — Festivals & cultural events
Living gatherings, not performances
From the Rajasthan Kabir Yatra to Virasat Weaves, Rang Malang, and Ajoo Gooja — we create spaces where folk culture is celebrated, communities gather, and children discover what belongs to them.
05 — Community spaces
Centres for living culture
Centre for Life, Bikaner — an open cultural commons built around a red sandstone amphitheatre — is our model for what a community-owned cultural space can look like. Not a venue. A living space.
03 — Documentation & archives
Preserving what is irreplaceable
Field-based documentation of oral traditions, folk songs, instruments, stories, and cultural practices — through audio, video, photography, and written record. A living archive, not a museum shelf.
06 — International exchange
Folk wisdom without borders
The Osaka Kabir Yatra (July 2025) — the first
international edition of the Rajasthan Kabir Yatra —
carried the wisdom of India's mystic poets to the
University of Osaka.
What we have built
Our programmes & initiatives.
Each programme is a distinct ecosystem — rooted in a specific community, designed to sustain itself over
time.
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FOUNDER & DIRECTOR · MALANG FOLK FOUNDATION
Gopal hails from Bikaner, Rajasthan. After completing his schooling, he spent a decade travelling across India, immersing himself in diverse cultures. He studied philosophy and modern education at SIDH (Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas) and worked closely with rural communities.
In 2012, he founded the Rajasthan Kabir Yatra — India's longest travelling folk music festival. For 17 years, he has worked as a field researcher, cultural archivist, and community builder — documenting oral traditions, folk music, instruments, and the spiritual wisdom of Rajasthan's mystic poets. Though often associated with the work of an ethnomusicologist, he humbly distances himself from the title — having pursued this path not through formal study, but through a deep personal passion and lifelong commitment to the folk wisdom of his land.
Our ethos
How we show up.
Each programme is a distinct ecosystem — rooted in a specific community, designed to sustain itself over
time.
Rooted, not extractive
We walk with communities, not
ahead of them. Every initiative
emerges from dialogue — the
direction comes from the field itself, ensuring cultural authenticity and trust.
Ethical custodianship
We document, archive, and amplify — but never own. The knowledge belongs to the communities. MFF acts as a custodian and amplifier, never as an authority.
Folk First
Whether through digitisation
projects, community-based
festivals, or youth training
programmes — our work always places folk communities, their knowledge, and their livelihoods at the centre.
Living ecosystems
Beyond projects, MFF envisions itself as the weaver of living, self-sustaining cultural ecosystems — connecting music, education, livelihood, and preservation.
Economy at the core
Sustainability is not an add-on.
Every programme is designed with livelihood, fair remuneration, and long-term economic dignity for artists and communities built in from the start.
Malang as a movement
Malang represents a way of
working — creative, human, and deeply connected to the people it serves. It is a spirit as much as an organisation. #BeMalang
The team
Who walks with us.
A small, committed team of people who have chosen to work at the intersection of culture, community, and
creative change.
17 years of walking, listening, and documenting folk traditions became the seed from which Malang grew. Gopal continues to ensure its work remains rooted in the communities it serves.
GOPAL SINGH
Founder & Director
Leads the Foundation's strategic growth, partnerships, and organisational development, ensuring Malang's vision is translated into sustainable programmes and long-term impact.
PRERNA
Managing Director
Five years with MFF in documentation, festivals, and retreats. Leads institutional development and major programme delivery including Osaka Kabir Yatra.
NIKITA
Projects Head
Leads the conceptualisation and curation of Malang's festivals, programmes, and experiences, shaping the organisation's creative vision and cultural identity.
MANU
Curator
While Malang moves freely through the world, Shreya creates spaces for stillness. She curates and facilitates retreats where music, dialogue, and reflection.
SHREYA
Retreat Facilitator
Jigyasa carries Malang's stories beyond its walls through words, storytelling, and an intuitive eye for design.
JIGYASA
Social Media Specialist
Sound is memory, and Deep is its keeper. Through recording, documentation, and archiving, he helps build Malang's growing archive.
DEEP
Sound Engineer
Siddharth doesn't just capture photographs—he preserves moments. Every frame becomes part of Malang's growing archive, ensuring its journeys, people, and stories continue to live far beyond the present.
SIDDHARTH
Documentation Head
Puneet gives Malang its visual language—the colours, textures, and details that make people pause and feel something. He designs not just visuals, but the identity people remember.
PUNEET
Creative Head
He keeps Malang's world organised behind the scenes, so every journey unfolds with ease and every programme stays grounded.
DEEPAK
Operations Head
Shantanu manages Malang's finances & accounts with transparency and care, giving every journey a strong foundation.
SHANTANU
Accounts Head
The quiet force behind Malang's everyday rhythm—looking after the space, people, and countless unseen details
NITESH
Facilities Coordinator
