Folk Theatre

Folk Theatre is a composite art form in India with a fusion of elements from music, dance, pantomime, versification, epic and ballad recitation, graphic and plastic arts, religion and festival peasantry. The Folk theatre having roots in native culture is embedded in local identity and social values. Besides providing mass entertainment, it helps Indian society as indigenous tools of interpersonal, inter-group and inter-village communication for ages.

Folk theatre has been used extensively in India to propagate critical social, political and cultural issues in the form of theatrical messages to create awareness among the people. As an indigenous form it breaks all kinds of formal barriers of human communication and appeals directly to the people

 

Emergence of folk theatre

Historically speaking, it was during the 15th -16th century that the folk theatre emerged forcefully in different regions. It used different languages, the languages of the regions in which it emerged. Initially these were purely devotional in tenor and typically revolved around religion, local legends and mythology. Later, with changing times, it became more secular in content and began to focus on folk stories of romance and valor and biographical accounts of local heroes.

 

Classification of folk theatres

• Indian folk theatre can be broadly divided into two broad categories — religious and secular — giving rise to the Ritual Theatre and Theatre of Entertainment respectively
• The two forms thrived together, mutually influencing each other. Most often the folk and traditional forms are mainly narrative or vocal, i.e. singing and recitation-based like Ramlila, Rasleela, Nautanki and Swang, without any complicated gestures or movements and elements of dance.
• While most of these theatrical styles have their own unique form dependent on their local customs, they differ from one another in execution, staging, costume, make-up and acting style, although there are some broad similarities.
• The south Indian forms emphasize on dance forms like Kathakali and Krishnattam of Kerala and actually qualify as dance dramas, while the north Indian forms emphasize on songs, like the Khyal of Rajasthan, the Maach of Madhya Pradesh, the Nautanki of Uttar Pradesh and the Swang of Punjab. The Jaatra of Bengal, Tamasha of Maharashtra and the Bhavai of Gujarat stress on dialogues in their execution, the latter two emphasize on comedy and satire.
• Puppet theatre also flourished at many places in India-Shadow (Gombeyatta of Karnataka, Ravana Chhaya of Orissa), Glove (Gopalila of Orissa, Pavai Koothu of Tamil Nadu), Doll (Bommalattam of Tamil Nadu and the Mysore State and Putul Naach of Bengal) and String puppets (Kathputli of Rajasthan and Sakhi Kundhei of Orissa) are some of the popular forms in vogue.
• Dramatic art can also be found in some of the solo forms of Indian classical dance, like Bharat Natyam, Katthak, Odissi and Mohiniattam, and folk dances like the Gambhira and Purulia Chhau of Bengal, Seraikella Chhau of Bihar and Mayurbhanj Chhau of Orissa. Dramatic content is even woven into the ritual ceremonies in some areas, particularly those of Kerala, with its Mudiyettu and Teyyam.

 

Some of the famous folk theatres in India are:

Bhand Pather

• Traditional theatre form of Kashmir
• A unique combination of dance, music, and acting
• Music is provided with Surnai, Nagaara, and Dhol
• It is usually held in open spaces.
• There are no predetermined scripts. Innovativeness is also a unique feature of this form of play
• These stories commemorate the lives of rishis (Sufi Sages, both Hindus and Muslims). This shows the secular character of this play

 

Saang/Swang

• It is a folk dance–theatre form in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.
• It is considered as the most ancient folk theatre form of India
• Two important styles of Swang are: Rohtak and Haathras
• Nautanki and Tamashaoriginated from this folk dance theatre

 

Nautanki

• It is associated with the state of Uttar Pradesh
• Famous centers of this theatre form are Kanpur, Lucknow, and Haathras.
• Only Men could play a part in this folk dance theatre initially. However, these days even woman are allowed
• Gulab Bai of Kanpur is a famous artist of this school

 

Raasleela

• It is based exclusively on Lord Krishna legends
• Some believe that it was Nand Das who wrote the initial plays based on the life of Krishna.
• This theatre is famous in the regions of Mathura, Vrindavana in Uttar Pradesh, especially during the festivals of Krishna Janmashtami and Holi

Bhavai

• It is a traditional theatre form of Gujarat
• The centers of this form are Kutch and Kathiawar.
• In this theatre form, both devotional and romantic sentiments are used.

 

Jatra

• This form was born and nurtured in Bengal
• It became popular due to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu influence
• The earlier form of Jatra was musical. Dialogues were added at a later stage.
• Fairs in honor of gods, or religious rituals and ceremonies are also conducted

 

Maach

• It is a traditional theatre form of Madhya Pradesh
• Songs are given more prominence than the dialogues
• The tunes of this theatre form are known as Rangat.

 

Bhaona

• This theatre form originated in Assam
• Practiced in Assam, Bengal, Odisha, Mathura, and Brindavan
• The story begins in Sanskritand then either Brajboli or Assamese is used.

 

Tamasha

• Traditional folk theatre of Maharashtra
• The female actress is the chief exponent of dance movements in the play
• She is referred to as Murki

 

Dashavatar

• Theatre form of Goa and Konkan regions
• The performers personify the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu
• These performers wear masks of wood and papier-mache

 

Krishnattam

• It is a folk theatre of Kerala
• It came into prominence under the patronage of King Manavada of Calicut
• The episodes are based on the theme of Lord Krishna

 

Mudiyettu

• Traditional folk theatre of Kerala
• It is primarily performed in the Kali temples of Kerala
• It depicts the triumph of Goddess Bhadrakali over the Asura Darika.

 

 

Koodiyaattam

• Traditional theatre form of Kerala
• This theatre form is based on Sanskrit theatre traditions
• There is more emphasis on hand gestures and eye movements in this theatre form technique

 

Yakshagana

• Traditional theatre form of Karnataka
• Districts in which Yakshagana is famous in Karnataka: Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts
• It is also famous in Kasaragoddistrict in Kerala
• In this theatre form- dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques are combined to form a unique style and form
• Yakshagana is also referred to as “Aata” or āṭa
• ‘Badagu thittu’ is a form of Yakshagana that is famous in Tulu Nadu region
• It is based on the mythological stories and Puranas
• The most popular episodes are from the Mahabharata
• Yakshagana shows are traditionally presented from dusk to dawn.
• Some of the famous Yakshagana artists are- Siddakatte Chennappa Shetty, Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, Naranappa Uppoor, Balipa Narayana Bhagawat, and Kalinga Navada.
• Kabuki, a regional theatre in Japan is much similar in its structure and performance to Yakshagana.

 

Therukoothu

• The most popular folk drama of Tamil Nadu
• It is also followed in Tamilspeaking regions of Sri Lanka
• It is mostly performed at the time of the annual temple festivals of Mariamman (Rain goddess) to achieve rich harvest.
• The theme in this street play are usually from Hindu epic Mahabharata, focusing on the character Draupadi
• The core of this theatre form is based on eight plays based on the life of Draupadi

 

Harikatha

• It means ‘Story of the Lord’
• It is also known as HarikathaKaalakshepam in Telugu and Tamil
• It is a composite art form composed of storytelling, poetry, music, drama, dance, and philosophy most prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka
• Here, the storyteller, explores a traditional theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic

 

 

Burra Katha

• It is an oral storytelling technique performed in villages of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
• The troupe consists of one main performer and two co-performers.
• It is a narrative entertainment that consists of prayers, solo drama, dance, songs, poems and jokes
• The topic will be either a Hindu mythological story (Jangam Katha) or a contemporary social issue

 

 

Folk theatres grew out of the situations, experiences, and analysis of the actors who are themselves villagers. They created their own dramas out of their own collective analysis of their immediate situation and the deeper structures in which they are embedded. This art is a genuine expression of the people. Many national and international seminars held on the role of Folk Theatre and Development suggested the integration of folk Theatre forms with Mass Media for quicker transmission of information as it was motivating the rural audience.