Shalini Ayyagari's book, Musical Resilience: Performing Patronage in the Indian Thar Desert, has been released with Wesleyan University Press. In Musical Resilience, Ayyagari shows how professional low caste musicians from the Thar Desert borderland of Rajasthan, India have skillfully reinvented their cultural and economic value in postcolonial India. Before India's independence in 1947, the Manganiyar community of hereditary musicians were tied to traditional patrons over centuries through hereditary ties. In postcolonial India, traditional patronage relations faded due to new political conditions, technological shifts, and cultural change. Ayyagari uses resilience, one of the most poignant keywords of our times, to understand how Manganiyar musicians sustain and enliven their cultural significance after the fading of traditional patronage. The book is now available for purchase on the Weslyan University Press website.

Dr. Ayyagari will be hosting her official book launch at City of Asylum on September 5, 2023 from 7:00-8:30pm. The author will be in conversation with the Department of Music's Dr. Andrew Weintraub. The event is open to the public and may be attended in person or joined via livestream. Visit the City of Asylum website for more information and to register for tickets or get the livestream link.