Jaipur is home to several different folk arts and performance-based arts as well. Several of these originated in rural areas of Rajasthan and have evolved into sophisticated art forms in Jaipur through a sustained period of patronage. The status of Jaipur as a tourist destination has also made it home to several rural folk artists who perform for the ever-growing tourist demographic. These include forms such as Kaalbelia and Ghoomar which originated in the heart of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. Among these, the Jaipur tamasha is the most eyecatching and famous folk performance.
A street-corner tradition unique to Jaipur where witty repartee in local slang regale those hanging around paan shops at street corners, galibazi is made of two words — gali and bazi. Gali stands for ‘ga liya’ (what has already been sung) and bazi stands for competition. Used primarily as a medium to spread social awareness and reform, galibazi is a homegrown art form where the performers sing with sarcastic humour and taunts, covering topics ranging from communal harmony, drinking of liquor and festivals of olden times to corruption, fashion, films, traffic and present-day inflation.
First developed by the Dayajwal family in Jodhpur, which later settled down in Maaliyon ka Chowk, Topkhanadesh Jaipur, galibazi dates back to the reign of Sawai Ram Singh (1835-1880 AD). Earlier, there were about 25 institutions of galibazi, which have now reduced to 14. Each institution has a leader, called the ustad, and his followers (5-50 persons) are called khalifas. The Jaipur form of gal-ibazi is called Dhudhadi; the four groups that participated were from local lokgeet sansthans (institutes) like Gaur Vipra, Tarkeshwar, Barah Bhai, Damodar Birdhi Chand, Dhadi, Amma- Kamma, Sallan, Jadiya, Boraji, Sohan, Nathmal, Guttan, Beejn, Gulzari and Kalyan.
Having survived for 200 years Galibazi is now in decline, as this art form is not connecting with the younger generation and also the artists and organizers struggle with government diktats governing street performances. For example noise issues, hygiene and traffic encroachment have all had a negative impact on performances