People's Play in Odisha : a Study

Orissa Review * April - 2008 People's Play in Odisha : A Study Dr. Pratap Kumar Dash People's Play is a coin of which 'people' are in In the stage, we see Ramaleela, Rasaleela, one side and 'Play' is in the other and virtually Bharataleela, Pala, Daskathia, Gotipua Dance, both are complimentary to each other. It is a Dandanata, Puppetry, Ghodanata, Patuanata and reflection of culture of Odisha. It reflects the life Suanga etc. style of common countryside people as well as The actors mostly come out in the forms of institutional life, added with the vigour and vain of Sabar-Sabaruni, Patarasaura-Patarasauruni, play, dance and song. The environment is purely Dhoba-Dhobani, Kela-Keluni, Jogi-Jogiani, rural and it abounds the simple life style of rural Keuta-Keutuni, Hadi-Hadiani, grand father and people. The audience can find solution to their grand child, Brahmin and his wife, black lady and own social, personal and spiritual problems. fair lady. Patient-Vaidya, milkman and his wife, Sometimes, such plays abound the magnetic Babu-Babuani etc. attraction of religion, the glaze of blind beliefs and fragrance of culture. These plays are mainly based on sing-song and dance. Also they express themselves through The character roles are performed by the gestures. The plays are enacted in the rural area male members among the common folk, who are through out the year - but basically on the not necessarily professional. The stage of play is occasions of particular functions of the calendar the cuccha road of the village. The village people as well as the birth year anniversaries of members get a respite from their hard and daily works. They of families. Basically, the plays mean to spread forget all delinations, wants, caste, and creed and get chained in closeness only to be the audience the message of the ideology of Shaiva (related to of such plays and enjoy the Rasa of the plays. At Lord Shiva) Shakti (related to the goddess), and times, these plays are enacted at the village temple, Vaishnab (related to Lord Vishnu). These plays under trees or in the open theater. Almost all the are enacted on the basis of acceptance of the plays declare the decay of sin and victory of Law public to the well-known mythological and socio- of Nature and Religion. Thus, the organizer, the cultural values. They preform different "Leelas" actor and the audience are altogether spellbound (activities) like Krushnaleela, Ramaleela, by the fetter of religion and culture and they dream Raasaleela and Bharataleela. The stage of a life of speace and prosperity through this. performance is accompanied and supported by 27 Orissa Review * April - 2008 singers, palias (or supported singers) and 3. Song based plays : Jhumar, Pala, Sankirtan, musicians. The musical instruments like mrudanga, Dalkhaai, Karama, Dhenukoila, Dadhinata, khola, taala, cymbel, khanjani, pakhauj, mahuri Daskathia, Dayika and Sanchar, Jamudali. and flute etc. are played by the musicians The The plays are full of sayings. In addition, actors and actresses are mostly male members. among all the characters, the role of Niyati is very But these days ladies have come forward to take important. He is not only the narrator of the plot the female role. These performers come dancing but also the agent who paves the way of the play to the stage right from the dressing room. These before the august audience. The importance of days the stage is lighted with electrical and modern villains like Ravana, Kansa, Mahisasura, equipments of a stage set. But earlier, the stage Duryodhan, Hiranyakasipu and many others is felt had no decoration and it was lighted by the lamps, than the heroes and heroines. But finally, their full of oils from castor or kerosene and Karanja defeat and death causes the denouncement and plants. Although nobody can say about the origin round contentment among the audience. of such plays specifically, still then the date goes back to the ancient time of the reign of kings. People's Play is very much associated with the tradition of Tantra. People walk on fire, hang Although the people's play is a natural themselves upside down from the branches with outcome, still then, we find two famous playwrights fire burning on the earth, walking on sword, of Odisha who are associated with this basically. walking on thorns etc, which are based on Tantra They are Baishnab Pani and Balakrushna Sadhana. The bed is called "Patua" in Oriya and Mohanty. Later on, Kalicharan Pattanayak it is divided into Ghantapatua, Udapatua with fire, inherited the tradition in forming a troupe of Rasa Phulapatua, Patua for hanging etc. This kind of at Sakhigopal. So to say, in Odisha, these acceptance of a painful way is based on pleasing celebrities started the so called "First Theatre" form goddess Parvati or her violent incarnation called in this way. Scholars say that these plays can be Kali. catagorised under three heads on the basis of their basic characteristic. They are: Similarly in Chaitighodanata, they worship the woman power called Shakti in the form of 1. Dance: Song and gesture based plays- Baseli or Basuli who has a horse face. In Leelanatak (Krishnaleela, Ramaleela and Dandanata people worship Lord Shiva in different Bharataleela), Puppetry, Jatra or Gananatya, forms. Also this kind of worship and cultural Dandanata, Poetic Play, Ghodanata (Horse play), performance is done exclusively paying religious Tamsa (Farce), Suanga, Dhanu Jatra, Prahallad regard to goddesses like Bhattarika of Badamba, natak, Desianata and Prahasan. Hingula of Talcher, Kalapata of Angul, Samalai 2. Dance based plays : Gotipuanacha, Chhau, of Sambalpur,Gouri of Nayagarh,Sarala of Naga Dance, Paika Dance, Dhuduki, Patuanata, Jhankad, Rankai Bauti of Hindol, Charccika of Ghanta Dance, Chadeya D a n c e , G h u m u r a Banki, Siddha Ramachandi of Konark, Maninaga Dance, Ranapa Dance, Ghatakalasi Dance, of Ranpur and Siddha Bhairavi of Ganjam. These Baunsarani dance, Tiger Dance, Kaisabadi goddesses are taken for the narrations of Dance, Jhumar and Sauralakha. Adishakti. In the Chhau dance Nataraja dance 28 Orissa Review * April - 2008 of Lord Shiva is reflected and this form is treated The characters possess the most important to be the Tantra form. and reflective role in such plays. The characters People's Play is very much a part of the of course cover all categories of people of tribal people of Odisha. In the districts of traditional social profession. Some of the Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Boudh, Phulbani, humorous and dramatic characters include Mirza Koraput, Balangir, Kalahandi and Sambalpur etc. Saheb, Parivawala, Vestiwala, Jhaduwala, the tribals like Kandha, Kolha, Santal and Paraja Hookawala etc. The godly characters like perform Dalkhai, Karama, Santali dances on the Srikrishna, Balaram, Rama, Seeta, Hanuman, festive occasions. They have three objectives like Vishnu and Nrushingha including Lord Shiva and hunting, farming and lovemaking. At the time of goddess Parvati make the audience feel that hunting and harvesting, they like to reflect their common people has no other ways but to accept youthful vigor through People's Play. In the month the religious and moral values set by them. In of October, they perform Dalkhai dance while addition to this, other common social characters worshipping goddess Dalkhai in Dashera.In order reflect that problems may come in the family or to live a life of peace and prosperity, tribals also society but patience, religiosity, mutual trust and have Karama dance in which they worship Nature understanding must help them to live a happy and in the form of two deities named Karamsen and prosperous life. The mythological characters like Karamarani. This Karama refers to Saal trees Arjun, Subhadra, Kansasura, Prahallad, mostly present in Odisha forests. Another tribal Hiranyakasipu and Ugrasena; and animal dance representing People's Play is Rasarkeli. characters like Garuda, Monkey, Deer, Tiger, This dance emanates a sort of Rasa by means of Lion, Bear and Snakes etc. perform important jest and fun. Ghumura, mostly enacted in the roles. districts of Kalahandi, Balangir and Sambalpur Even in our time People's Play remains very provides great musical charm. Ghumura is in fact vital in the cultural and social life of the rural and a musical instrument like mardal and at least seven semi-urban Odisha. Of course, scope is given to to ten people form, a group of dancers in its those performances on stage in urban areas on displaying the stories from the Ramayana and the the specific occasions of celebration called Mahabharata. Also they enact some other Mahotsava. traditional stories in order to create laughter and bravery among the tribal audiences. In the undivided district of Koraput the tribals perform Desianata. It is said to be created by the Maharaja of Jaypur named Ram Chandra Dev. It is performed in the open street. The actors wear masks of animals, birds and demons to create Dr. Pratap Kumar Dash is a Lecturer in English at Ranpur exact feeling among the audience. College, Ranpur in the District of Nayagarh. 29.

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