Introduction : Over the
centuries, a rich and diverse tradition of song and dance emerged across
the Bundelkhand region. Several local cults exist in this region
independent of mainstream Hindu religious tradition. Bundeli Culture has
many dimension in the form of Folk Dances, Folk Songs, Folk Arts,
Musical Instruments and many Festivals and celebrations giving
opportunity to artists to demonstrate their performance. Few of the
features are mentioned below. Those who want to know more may contact us
or may refer books written by Sri Ayodhya Prashad Gupta, "Kumud ", Orai
on Bundelkhandi Culture.
Folk Dances :
1. Diwari : This dance in Bundelkhand is performed every year during the festival of light Diwali/Deepawali in the end of October or first week of November according to lunar calendar. In this connection the epic story goes that "in Gokul” when Lord Krishna raised Goverdhan Parvat on his finger to save the local people, they danced in joy. The dancers wear multi-coloured apparels and the chief dancer holds the peacock feathers in his hands and the rest stick those feathers in their half pants. The main instruments used in this dance are ‘Dholak’ and ‘Nagaria’ (both being a form of drums). The male dancers with long sticks show the marshal arts when the beats of drums inspire their energy and emotions. This dance is also performed as a ‘thanks giving’ after harvesting.
2. Ravala : Ravala dance in Bundelkhand is basically a dance drama. The farm labour community of Bundelkhand performs Ravala during marriages. It is performed with very funny expressions and humorous dialogues. The audiences are entertained by these expressions of dance and the dialogues of drama.
3. Badhaiya : Badhaiya is a ceremonial dance. It is performed on child birth, marriages or any other get together to celebrate happiness and joy. The collective moments of dancers show the unique expressions of their faces. With rhythm and movements they greet for the occasion.
4. Raai : Through the centuries Raai has been the folk dance which has touched its peak as a classical dance. Later Raai had degenerated its aesthetical value and lost its classical expression. Today it remains simply as a folk dance. Raai means a mustard seed. When a mustard seed is thrown into a saucer, the seed starts to swings around. This way mustard seed moves in the saucer, the dancers also swings and when the singers sing the lyrics of the song the dancers follow the beats with foot steps. It is a duet and the competition is between the beats of the drum and foot steps of the dancer. The drummer and the dancer try to win each other and this competition leads towards the bliss.
5. Horse Dance : It is a ceremonial dance performed by a trained horse with the loud beats of heave drums called Rabbi. With graceful movements, the horse follows beats of the drum with its four steps and the horse rider performs the gymnastics gestures. Typically horse dance follows the ceremonial marriage processions.
6. Pahunai : This song and dance performed to welcome guests
7.Kacchiyahi : This song and dance performed by women and men of the backward Kacchi caste
8.Kolhai: This song and dance peculiar to the Kol tribals of the Patha region.
Folk Songs:
1. Faag : Faag songs and its rhythmic music could be heard in the whole Bundelkhand region during spring season when the crops are ready for harvesting. The spring season of March-April express the vibrant emotions which are hidden in the tender hearts of the youth, invites each other and to express the mystical attachment between male and female. Finally emotions are transformed into devotion to make devotee divine . Phag was enriched in the early twentieth century by a folk poet Isuri (born 1881, in Mauranipur, Jhansi) who is credited to have composed over a thousand Faags.
2. Alha : Alha reciting is organized to entertain the farmers during monsoon. When farmers are free from their agricultural jobs during heavy monsoon and they cannot move anywhere, sitting at one place Alha recital makes their emotions awake through the description of heroic deeds of Alha and Udal, who fought on the side of the Chandelas in the war against Prithiviraj Chauhan.. The Alha repertoire of lyrics has been continuously enriched by different authors at different times.
3. Dadre and Gari : This is the main folk lore of Bundelkhand. As a ‘Gari’ they show the happiness and joy to express their feeling for the blissful movement when the auspicious marriage is taking place. They evoke the feelings in the heart of bride and groom with love and romance. ‘Dadre’ is sung by a group of ladies to bless the newly wed couple.
4. Lamtera : (Call of God) Lamtera songs are sung by Bundeli pilgrims during devotional festivals of Bundelkhand in the month of January, February and March after rabi crop in winter blossoms. Farmers after seeing their crops flowering, their hearts and minds also bloom like a flower. To show their gratitude to the God, the devotees offer the flowers of their emotions to the lotus feet of the God. They realize that the whole year passed in day to day life, and with the feeling of spring season they want to get blessed by going to the pilgrimage places, temples and to take the holy bath in the rivers.
5. Khyal : In ‘Khyal Gayaki’, a singer recites mythical stories, heroic deeds, the social events and the deep family relations. In this expression of songs, a very special drum ‘Dhapli’ gives very special beats which harmonize emotions.
6. Kaharwa : In the expression of folk lore Kaharwa, the sentiments of heart culminate into the romantic expression. This song is always sung by a drummer who follows the dancer of Raai, which is why this dance is also known as Raai-Kaharwa.
7. Sohar : This is sung on the occasion of the birth of a child
8.Achri : This is a folk song form performed in honour of mother goddesses especially during Navratri
9.Got : This is a song form with a strange rhythm sung through the night to seek good health of Cattles.
10.Ahri : These are sung to welcome the rains
11.Tambura Bhajans : These are songs usually sung to Kabir's lyrics, celebrating a nirguni (formless) godhead.
Musical Instruments : During Dance, Music and songs accompanying instruments include percussion instruments like the dholak, nagadiya and pakhawaj; string instruments like the one-string tambura; wind instruments like the flute and shennai; and several rare instruments like the algoja, a double flute.
Folk Arts: Many folk arts have evolved around regional festivals, such as 'Navami' drawings and designs made on the occasion of Kajri Navami in the monsoons. The drawings are made with a solution of pounded rice on floor cleaned with cattle dung, in a dark room of the house in which women place cups made of leaves containing mud from a particular field. Seedlines of wheat or barley are grown in the cups and worshipped for 15 days. Only then are sowing operations commenced.
Bundeli Celebrations : Many local Melas and celebrations are organized at the local level and many are famous at the state and national level. Few of them are mentioned below
Folk Dances :
1. Diwari : This dance in Bundelkhand is performed every year during the festival of light Diwali/Deepawali in the end of October or first week of November according to lunar calendar. In this connection the epic story goes that "in Gokul” when Lord Krishna raised Goverdhan Parvat on his finger to save the local people, they danced in joy. The dancers wear multi-coloured apparels and the chief dancer holds the peacock feathers in his hands and the rest stick those feathers in their half pants. The main instruments used in this dance are ‘Dholak’ and ‘Nagaria’ (both being a form of drums). The male dancers with long sticks show the marshal arts when the beats of drums inspire their energy and emotions. This dance is also performed as a ‘thanks giving’ after harvesting.
2. Ravala : Ravala dance in Bundelkhand is basically a dance drama. The farm labour community of Bundelkhand performs Ravala during marriages. It is performed with very funny expressions and humorous dialogues. The audiences are entertained by these expressions of dance and the dialogues of drama.
3. Badhaiya : Badhaiya is a ceremonial dance. It is performed on child birth, marriages or any other get together to celebrate happiness and joy. The collective moments of dancers show the unique expressions of their faces. With rhythm and movements they greet for the occasion.
4. Raai : Through the centuries Raai has been the folk dance which has touched its peak as a classical dance. Later Raai had degenerated its aesthetical value and lost its classical expression. Today it remains simply as a folk dance. Raai means a mustard seed. When a mustard seed is thrown into a saucer, the seed starts to swings around. This way mustard seed moves in the saucer, the dancers also swings and when the singers sing the lyrics of the song the dancers follow the beats with foot steps. It is a duet and the competition is between the beats of the drum and foot steps of the dancer. The drummer and the dancer try to win each other and this competition leads towards the bliss.
5. Horse Dance : It is a ceremonial dance performed by a trained horse with the loud beats of heave drums called Rabbi. With graceful movements, the horse follows beats of the drum with its four steps and the horse rider performs the gymnastics gestures. Typically horse dance follows the ceremonial marriage processions.
6. Pahunai : This song and dance performed to welcome guests
7.Kacchiyahi : This song and dance performed by women and men of the backward Kacchi caste
8.Kolhai: This song and dance peculiar to the Kol tribals of the Patha region.
Folk Songs:
1. Faag : Faag songs and its rhythmic music could be heard in the whole Bundelkhand region during spring season when the crops are ready for harvesting. The spring season of March-April express the vibrant emotions which are hidden in the tender hearts of the youth, invites each other and to express the mystical attachment between male and female. Finally emotions are transformed into devotion to make devotee divine . Phag was enriched in the early twentieth century by a folk poet Isuri (born 1881, in Mauranipur, Jhansi) who is credited to have composed over a thousand Faags.
2. Alha : Alha reciting is organized to entertain the farmers during monsoon. When farmers are free from their agricultural jobs during heavy monsoon and they cannot move anywhere, sitting at one place Alha recital makes their emotions awake through the description of heroic deeds of Alha and Udal, who fought on the side of the Chandelas in the war against Prithiviraj Chauhan.. The Alha repertoire of lyrics has been continuously enriched by different authors at different times.
3. Dadre and Gari : This is the main folk lore of Bundelkhand. As a ‘Gari’ they show the happiness and joy to express their feeling for the blissful movement when the auspicious marriage is taking place. They evoke the feelings in the heart of bride and groom with love and romance. ‘Dadre’ is sung by a group of ladies to bless the newly wed couple.
4. Lamtera : (Call of God) Lamtera songs are sung by Bundeli pilgrims during devotional festivals of Bundelkhand in the month of January, February and March after rabi crop in winter blossoms. Farmers after seeing their crops flowering, their hearts and minds also bloom like a flower. To show their gratitude to the God, the devotees offer the flowers of their emotions to the lotus feet of the God. They realize that the whole year passed in day to day life, and with the feeling of spring season they want to get blessed by going to the pilgrimage places, temples and to take the holy bath in the rivers.
5. Khyal : In ‘Khyal Gayaki’, a singer recites mythical stories, heroic deeds, the social events and the deep family relations. In this expression of songs, a very special drum ‘Dhapli’ gives very special beats which harmonize emotions.
6. Kaharwa : In the expression of folk lore Kaharwa, the sentiments of heart culminate into the romantic expression. This song is always sung by a drummer who follows the dancer of Raai, which is why this dance is also known as Raai-Kaharwa.
7. Sohar : This is sung on the occasion of the birth of a child
8.Achri : This is a folk song form performed in honour of mother goddesses especially during Navratri
9.Got : This is a song form with a strange rhythm sung through the night to seek good health of Cattles.
10.Ahri : These are sung to welcome the rains
11.Tambura Bhajans : These are songs usually sung to Kabir's lyrics, celebrating a nirguni (formless) godhead.
Musical Instruments : During Dance, Music and songs accompanying instruments include percussion instruments like the dholak, nagadiya and pakhawaj; string instruments like the one-string tambura; wind instruments like the flute and shennai; and several rare instruments like the algoja, a double flute.
Folk Arts: Many folk arts have evolved around regional festivals, such as 'Navami' drawings and designs made on the occasion of Kajri Navami in the monsoons. The drawings are made with a solution of pounded rice on floor cleaned with cattle dung, in a dark room of the house in which women place cups made of leaves containing mud from a particular field. Seedlines of wheat or barley are grown in the cups and worshipped for 15 days. Only then are sowing operations commenced.
Bundeli Celebrations : Many local Melas and celebrations are organized at the local level and many are famous at the state and national level. Few of them are mentioned below
- Ramayan Mela in Chitrakut, Uttar Pradesh
- Khajuraho Mahotsava, Khajuraho
- Bundeli Utsav : Every year in Basari Tehsil Rajnagar District Chhatarpur, starting from Basant Panchmi. Various competitions on folk arts, folk dances, folk songs, food festival, traditional games and archery events are organized during this festival.
- Jhansi Festival : It is UP government Festival for Bundelkhand. It provides a n a platform to Bundelkhand folk artists for promotion of Bundeli folk culture .
- Lok Lai : This is Bundelkhand folk arts festival organised in Chitrakut, U.P.
No comments:
Post a Comment