Bundeli Culture
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 - 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.
Present Scenario :
Since it is not commercially viable, very few young artists are attracted
towards Bundeli Culture . The skill and materials required to make
many
kinds of instruments are vanishing. Due to livelihood pressures and large scale migration and spread of the Hindi Film & TV culture, Bundelkhand's folk art is dying and very little effort
is being made by government and non-government organizations for
preservation
and promotion of above Folk culture. Some
attempts have been made to compose and popularise new folk songs with
messages on issues such as literacy, empowerment of women and
awakening amongst tribal people. A considerable amount of work has
been done by academics as well as enthusiasts from different parts of
the region to document and
preserve Bundelkhand's folk art forms.
Since the 1990s, there has been an
explosion of a new kind of Bundelkhandi 'folk' music. Sung to the
accompaniment
of modern instruments like synthesizers, and often with sexually
suggestive
lyrics in Bundeli, the music is sold in street and is played
at ear-splitting volume in public transport buses, rickshaws &
street
shops.
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