THE CRAFT OF mask making in West Bengal is closely related to the folk dance forms,such as the ritual dance masks of Darjeeling,Gambhira masks of Maldah and chhau masks of Purulia.The former two are made of wood,the latter is made out of papier-mache using moulds.Gambhira dance and gamdbhira songs were quite popular in Dinajpur and Maldah district of Bengal.Lord Shiva,is also known as Gambhir and Gambhir was originally celebrated as a puja,worship.The dance is a combination of narrative,song and music whihc resembles a folk play.The performers wear gambhira masks.The play is enacted by the character of a grandfather who narrates the story to a grandson character and the refrain is sung by a chorus. Gambhira reflects contemporary social problems.The folk dance is performed to the accompaniment of folk instruments such as the harmonium,flute,drum and judi.The masks are made from locally available wood of mango,gambhari and neem trees.The circumference of the log to be carved into a mask has to be around two feet.The craftsperson according to his imagination carves the mask and then paints it with bright colours.
Ajit Sarkar is one of the revered craftperson of this gambhira mask making.
Showing posts with label Maldah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maldah. Show all posts
Friday, July 2, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Gambhira
At times, Gambhira Dance is also performed in duet or in-group, depending upon the number of participants. The characters of the dance represent Puranic deities like Shiva, Parvati, Kali, etc. The big drum Dhak is primarily used as the principal accompanying instrument and the song, sung in eulogy of Lord Shiva and the tunes are loud and coarse, giving an added glory to its form. Gambhira songs are assumed to have originated from the worship of the god Shiva, since he is also known as `Gambhir`. In ancient times, Gambhira used to be celebrated as Puja,but in the medieval period, most Hindu communities started celebrating the Puja of `Dharma thakur` (a popular god of the Hindus) on the last three days of the Bengali year. This later on, was known as the `gajan of Shiva`. In the past, Shiva was imagined to be present at the time of actual performance.
The songs of Gambhira originated among the Hindu community of Maldah in West Bengal, completely in its theme formation. With time, Gambhira songs have undergone many changes in terms of theme and style of its presentation. Later, Muslims became the custodians of these songs and made many changes in its form, as it was an integral part of their social life and their culture by the time.
At present, the main characters in the Gambhira are a maternal grandfather and his grandson. The performance is usually structured as a dialogue between them, interspersed with songs for fluent flow, where the dialogues consists of both prose and poetry. The Gambhira reflects contemporary social problems through witty dialogues, songs, dances and jokes. Sometimes it also reflects a generation contradiction in opinions & choices.
The costumes for this performance are very simple, since both the performers wear lungis. The gray-bearded grandfather wears a mathal i.e. straw hat on his head and holds a stick in his hand, whereas, the grandson wears a torn jersey and has a gamchha, a local checked towel that is tied around his waist.
In the past, Gambhira songs were sung in the measures of ektal, trital, dadra, khemta, kaharba but nowadays, the tunes are more influenced by songs from popular Bangla and Hindi movies in terms of music. The Gambhira songs were made popular by Kutubul Alam, Rakibuddin, Biren Ghosh and Mahbubul Alam in their regions. They tried to introduce many new subjects and characters as its content with interesting and witty dialogues.
The songs of Gambhira originated among the Hindu community of Maldah in West Bengal, completely in its theme formation. With time, Gambhira songs have undergone many changes in terms of theme and style of its presentation. Later, Muslims became the custodians of these songs and made many changes in its form, as it was an integral part of their social life and their culture by the time.
At present, the main characters in the Gambhira are a maternal grandfather and his grandson. The performance is usually structured as a dialogue between them, interspersed with songs for fluent flow, where the dialogues consists of both prose and poetry. The Gambhira reflects contemporary social problems through witty dialogues, songs, dances and jokes. Sometimes it also reflects a generation contradiction in opinions & choices.
The costumes for this performance are very simple, since both the performers wear lungis. The gray-bearded grandfather wears a mathal i.e. straw hat on his head and holds a stick in his hand, whereas, the grandson wears a torn jersey and has a gamchha, a local checked towel that is tied around his waist.
In the past, Gambhira songs were sung in the measures of ektal, trital, dadra, khemta, kaharba but nowadays, the tunes are more influenced by songs from popular Bangla and Hindi movies in terms of music. The Gambhira songs were made popular by Kutubul Alam, Rakibuddin, Biren Ghosh and Mahbubul Alam in their regions. They tried to introduce many new subjects and characters as its content with interesting and witty dialogues.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Aalkaap
Aalkaap a regional folk performance(theatere), popular in the districts of Murshidabad, Birbhum and Maldaha. It is a composite performance comprising acting, dancing, singing, recitation. An Aalkaap group consists of ten to twelve artistes, led by a sarkar (master) or guru. The group also includes two or three young men called chhokras and one or two gayens or singers. The rest comprise dohar, choristers, and musicians. Aalkaap performances take place at night on an open stage, which is lit by hanging lanterns, popularly known as hyajak bati. The audience stand or sit around the stage, leaving a narrow passage for the performers.
There are two main parts of an Aalkaap performance: songs and witty dialogue in prose or verse. Usually, the themes of the songs are drawn from mythological tales, particularly the story of Radha and Krishna, while the subjects of the dialogue relate to contemporary social events. Sometimes the audience also joins in. The main attraction of Aalkaap performances, however, are the chhokras who dance, dressed as girls, between the singing and acting. Handsome boys are trained to become chhokras and become quite expert in performing the salacious dances known as khemta and jhumur. There are also clowns to make the audience laugh.
The singers sit on the stage while the musicians sit below the stage, on one side. The instruments that accompany the Aalkaap performance are the drum, harmonium, tabla, tambourine, flute etc. The musicians sit throughout the performance. The sarkar enters first, singing a vandana or hymn. He then recites verses that introduce the main theme of the drama. Then he and the main singers start the Aalkaap , while the choristers help them by repeating the burden of the song.
Aalkaap is closer to a play. In the Aalkaap , however, the performers have a notion of the storyline and, mostly impromptu. Though the western educated scholars do not like peoples’ language, they brand it as vulgur, sexually motivated. But these scholars are uprooted from their community. They do not know how the rural communities communicate each other.
At present, when television and films have reached the remotest villages, the social realities are changing rapidly, the production process of agriculture are in the verge of the corporates, the popularity of the Aalkaap has decreased and it is on its way to extinction.
There are two main parts of an Aalkaap performance: songs and witty dialogue in prose or verse. Usually, the themes of the songs are drawn from mythological tales, particularly the story of Radha and Krishna, while the subjects of the dialogue relate to contemporary social events. Sometimes the audience also joins in. The main attraction of Aalkaap performances, however, are the chhokras who dance, dressed as girls, between the singing and acting. Handsome boys are trained to become chhokras and become quite expert in performing the salacious dances known as khemta and jhumur. There are also clowns to make the audience laugh.
The singers sit on the stage while the musicians sit below the stage, on one side. The instruments that accompany the Aalkaap performance are the drum, harmonium, tabla, tambourine, flute etc. The musicians sit throughout the performance. The sarkar enters first, singing a vandana or hymn. He then recites verses that introduce the main theme of the drama. Then he and the main singers start the Aalkaap , while the choristers help them by repeating the burden of the song.
Aalkaap is closer to a play. In the Aalkaap , however, the performers have a notion of the storyline and, mostly impromptu. Though the western educated scholars do not like peoples’ language, they brand it as vulgur, sexually motivated. But these scholars are uprooted from their community. They do not know how the rural communities communicate each other.
At present, when television and films have reached the remotest villages, the social realities are changing rapidly, the production process of agriculture are in the verge of the corporates, the popularity of the Aalkaap has decreased and it is on its way to extinction.
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