Folk Theatre

Folk Theatre is an art form that combines various elements of art forms like music, dance, pantomime, poetry, storytelling, visual arts, religion, and festive traditions. In this article, you will learn definition, characteristics of folk theatre, example of folk theatre, history of Indian folk theatre, about folk theatre of each states, providing key insights for GS Paper- I Indian Art and Culture section of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• What is Folk Theatre?    
• Folk Theatre      
• Classification of Indian Folk Theatre
• Ritual theatre
• Theatres of Entertainment of North, West and Eastern Part of India
• Theatres of South India
• Conclusion         
• Frequently Asked Questions       
• Reference           

What is Folk Theatre?

• Folk Theatre is an art form that combines various elements of art forms like music, dance, pantomime, poetry, storytelling, visual arts, religion, and festive traditions.

Folk Theatre:

• India possesses a diverse and vibrant heritage of folk theatre across its different regions.
• It beautifully portrays the local way of life, covering social norms, beliefs, and customs.
• Unlike the urban-oriented Sanskrit or Classical theatre, folk theatre has originated and developed in rural settings.
• Many of its existing forms emerged during the 15th and 16th centuries AD, primarily focused on devotional themes.
• Over time, these theatre forms incorporated love ballads and narratives of local heroes, embracing a more secular character.
• In the post-independence era, folk theatre gained prominence as a medium for imparting social wisdom rather than just being a form of entertainment.

Classification of Indian Folk Theatre:

Ritual theatre:

• During the Bhakti movement, it played a significant role in expressing devotion towards God, both for the performers and the audience.
• It served as a powerful means of connecting with faith and spirituality through captivating performances.
• Examples:Ankia Naat, Ramlila, Raslila, Bhuta Aradhana and Ramman

Ankia Naat:

• Ankia Naat is one-act play originating in Assam.
• Ankia Naat was introduced by the Vaishnava Saint Sankaradeva and his disciple Madhavdev during the 15^th-16^th century AD.
• Ankia Naat follows an operatic style and portrays incidents from the life of Lord Krishna.
• The Sutradhar, or narrator, is accompanied by a group of musicians called Gayan-Bayan Mandali, who play the ‘khol’ and cymbals.
• The Ankia Naat uses masks to convey specific expressions is a distinctive feature of this art form.
• The plays of Ankia Naat are written in a language called Brajavali, a mix of Assamese and Maithili.

Ramlila:

• Ramlila is a popular folk theatre of Uttar Pradesh.
• Ramlila enacts the epic Ramayana through songs, dances, and dialogues.
• Ramlila is majorly performed during the period before Dussehra.
• Ramlila is performed by male actors including the role of Sita.

Raslila:

• Raslila is majorly popular in Gujarat and some parts of North India.
• Raslila is a dance drama that depicts the enchanting love stories of Krishna and Radha during their adolescent years.

Bhuta Aradhana:

• Bhuta means spirit.
• Bhuta Aradhana is a traditional practice of ancestor worship prevalent in the coastal region of Karnataka.
• Kola, a ritualistic theatre, is the chief form of BhutaAradhana worship.

Ramman:

• Ramman is majorly popular in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
• Ramman is a ritualistic theatre dedicated to the local deity Bhumiyal Devta.
• Ramman is listed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
• During Ramman, members of the Bhandari caste wear sacred masks symbolizing Narasimha, a half-man and half-lion deity.
• The performance of Ramman includes dances, songs, and narrations of Lord Rama’s stories.

Theatres of Entertainment of North, West and Eastern Part of India:

Bhavai:

• Bhavai is a popular folk theatre form primarily found in Rajasthan.
• Bhavai combines dance and small plays to create a series of performances.
• Bhavai is centred around romantic themes.
• The performers of Bhavai skillfully balance multiple earthen pots or brass pitchers during their acts.
• Bhavai is accompanied by semi–classical music, played in a distinctive folk style using instruments like Jhanjhar and dholak.
• The narrator in Bhavai theatre is known as Nayaka.

Daskathia:

• Daskathia is a beloved folk theatre form in Odisha.
• Daskathia features two narrators: the chief singer called Gayaka and the co-narrator known as Palia.
• The narration of Daskathia is accompanied by dramatic music produced using a wooden musical instrument called kathia.
• The primary focus of Daskathia revolves around Lord Shiva.
• A related variant of Daskathia is Chhaiti Ghoda, which involves three narrators and the use of two musical instruments – dhol and mohuri.

Garoda:

• Garoda is practiced by the ‘Garoda’ Brahmin community in Gujarat, who employs painted pictures to vividly depict tales of romance and valor.

Jatra:

• Jatra is a well-known folk theatre style originating from Eastern India.
• Jatra is performed in open-air settings.
• Jatra was initially introduced by the VaishnavaSaint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
  • He used to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna during his travels through rural Bengal.
• Variations of Jatra: Rama Jatra, Shiv Jatra, and Chandi Jatra, each narrates stories from Puranic legends.
• In modern times, Jatra conveys secular, historical, and patriotic themes.
• Odisha is known for Sahi Jatra, a form of street theatre.

Kariyila:

• Kariyila is an open-air theatre popular in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh.
• Kariyila is often performed during village fairs and festivals.
• Kariyila is a night-long performances that consist of a series of small plays and skits.

Maach:

• Maach is the folk theatre style prevalent in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
• Maach’s initial themes were Mahabharata and Ramayana, but later theme includes romantic folk tales also.
• Uniqueness of Maach: the delivery of dialogues is in the form of couplets known as Rangat Dohas.

Nautanki:

• Nautanki is a derivative of Swang.
• Nautanki is the most renowned theatre form in North India
• Nautanki was mentioned in Abul Fazl’s Ain–i-Akbari.
• Themes of Nautanki: historical, social, and folk tales
• Nautanki is presented through a combination of dance and music.
• Dialogues of Nautanki are delivered in a lyrical manner, accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the Nagada drum.
• 2 significant schools of Nautanki are centered around Kanpur and Lucknow.

Ojapali:

• Ojapali is a narrative theatre form associated with the festival of Manasha, dedicated to the Serpent Goddess, in Assam.
• The narration of Ojapali comprises 3 distinct parts: Baniya Khanda, Bhatiyali Khanda, and Deva Khanda.
• The main narrator of Ojapali, called Oja, is supported by the chorus known as Palis.

Powada:

• Powada originated when a play praising the heroic deeds of Shivaji after his victory over Afzal Khan titled as Powada was written.
• These operatic ballads portray tales of valor.
• Powada is sung by folk musicians known as Gondhalis and Shahirs.
• Powada is particularly popular in the region of Maharashtra.

Swang:

• Swang is famous folk theatre style of Rajasthan and Haryana.
  • Ali Baksh of Rewari is known as the father of folk theatre in Haryana.
• The Swang is a musical drama performed through verses accompanied by musical instruments such as ektara, harmonium, sarangi, dholak, and khartal.
• Swang also incorporates elements of mimicry and engaging dialogues.

Tamasha:

• Tamasha is a folk theatre form native to Maharashtra.
• Tamasha is renowned for its humor and sometimes explicit content.
• Tamasha features female actors who portray both female and male roles.
• Lavani songs often accompany Tamasha performances.

Bhand Pather:

• Bhand Pather is a folk theatre style originating from Jammu and Kashmir.
• Bhand Pather’s themes revolve around contemporary social satire and mythical stories.
• Bhand Pather maintains a secular outlook despite being performed by Muslims.
• Music, dance, and drama are integral elements of Bhand Pather.

Bhaona:

• Bhaona is a folk theatre tradition in Assam, particularly on the Majuli Island.
• Bhaona imparts religious and moral messages to the audience through entertainment and drama.
• Bhaona presents Ankia Naat and revolves around Vaishnavite themes.
• The Sutradhar (Narrator) ofBhaona leads the play and sings verses from holy texts.
• Sankardeva has introduced the Bhaona folk theatre style in the early 16th century.

Dashavatar:

• Dashavatar is performed by farmers in the Konkan region, mainly Sindhudurg (Maharashtra) and North Goa.
• Dashavatar is performed to pay tributes to the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
• Dashavatar consists of two parts: ‘poorva-ranga’ (initial part) and ‘uttararanga’ (second part).
  • The latter is the main act and revolves around mythological stories.

Naqal or Bhand:

• Itis a mimicry-based performance performed in Punjab (Naqal) and Uttar Pradesh (Bhand).
• The performing artist or ‘Behroopiya’ or ‘Naqalchi’ (impersonator), employs comedy, absurdities, wit, and humor to convey social or political messages.
• Itis performed by artists from the Muslim Bhand Community.

Bidesia

• Bidesia is a folk-dance form of Bihar based on a drama named Bidesiya written by Bhikari Thakur.
• Bidesia originated in the Bhojpuri speaking areas of Bihar. 
• Bidesia was originated in the 20th century.
• Bidesia is also called Bahara Bahar. 
• Theme of separation between husband and wife like the Meghadūta and Ramayana of Sanskrit.

Theatres of South India:

Villu Paatu:

• Villu Paatu means bow-song.
• Villu Paatu is a popular musical theatre form in Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Villu Paatu utilizes bow-shaped instruments to narrate stories from the Ramayana.

Yakshagana:

• Yakshagana is one of the oldest theatre traditions still practiced in Karnataka and parts of Kerala.
• Yakshagana originated in the royal courts of the Vijayanagara empire.
• Yakshagana was performed by a specific community called Jakkula Varu.
• Yakshagana is evolved from a descriptive dance-drama enacted by a single artist to a typical dance drama influenced by the Vaishnava Bhakti Movement.

Burra Katha:

• Burra Katha is a storytelling-based tradition in Andhra Pradesh.
• Burra Katha derives its name from the extensive use of the percussion instrument called Burra during performances.
• The main artist or narrator of Burra Katha is accompanied by 2 co-artists who provide rhythm and chorus.

Pagati Veshaalu:

• Pagati Veshaalu is a folk tradition popular in the Telangana region and Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.
• Pagati Veshaalu revolves around role-playing.
• Pagati Veshaalu features a principal character called vesham (disguise) and other sub-characters.

Bayalata:

• Bayalata is an open-air theatre tradition in Karnataka.
• Bayalata is performed during the worship of the local deity.
• Bayalata’s stories are based on the love of Radha-Krishna.

Tal-Maddale:

• Tal is a kind of Cymbal and Maddale is a kind of drum.
• Tal-Maddale is considered as the predecessor of Yakshagana.
• Tal-Maddale is a play performed while sitting and without any costumes, dance, or acting.
• The narration ofTal-Maddale is done by a Bhagavata with the support of a group of Arthadharis.
• Tal-Maddale is mainly performed in coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

Theyyam:

• Theyyam is performed in Kerala.
• Theyyam is similar to the practice of Bhuta Kola in Karnataka.
• Theyyam is an open theatre performed in front of local temples to honour ancestors and gods.
• Themes of Theyyam: Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and Shaivism.
• The actors in Theyyam wear headgear and colourful costumes.

Krishnanattam:

• Krishnanattam is a dance-drama art form of Kerala that originated in the mid-17th century.
• Krishnanattam spans over 8 days with consecutive nightly performances at temples.
• Krishnanattam narrates the life story of Lord Krishna based on the works of Krishna Geethi.

Kuruvanji:

• Kuruvanjihad emerged 300 years ago.
• The first Kuruvanji was composed by Thirukutarajappa Kaviyar.
• Kuruvanji performs classical Tamil poetry and songs majorly a love-struck heroine.
• The term Kuruvanji refers to a fortune-teller who predicts the fate of the heroine.
• Kuruvanjiis performed as a dance ballet, with Bharatnatyam being the principal dance form in Tamil Nadu.

Conclusion

Folk theatre in India holds a rich heritage that has captivated audiences for centuries. This traditional art form has not only entertained but also conveyed cultural, social, and moral messages to the masses. With its diverse regional variations, folk theatre reflects the unique customs, beliefs, and traditions of different Indian communities.

Ref: Source-1

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