Bhavai

Bhavai (Strolling Players) is a popular folk theatre form of Gujarat. Jasma Odan based on Gujarati folk tale, written and directed by Shanta Gandhi and Mena Gujari produced by Deena Gandhi are some of the most popular Bhavai musicals..

History

Veshas or Bhavai plays are also known as swang. Bhavai originated in the 14th Century. It is said that Hemala Patel's daughter Ganga was kidnapped by a Muslim Subedar from their home village of Unza. Their family priest Asait Thakar, a resident of Siddhapur, rushed to the subedar claiming Ganga to be his own daughter. Subedar asked Asait Thakar to eat from the same dish to prove that she was really his daughter. Asait obeyed, but incurred the ire of his own caste and was excommunicated as he had taken food with Ganga, who was of a lower caste. He started earning his living by performing plays which later came to be known as Bhavai.

The caste of the performers of Bhavai came to be known as tragala. In one of his long poems Asaita has given the date of the composition as AD 1360. Asait wrote about 360 plays, out of which some 60 have survived. Some of these veshas bear his name. It is clear from the bhavai performance that this form must have evolved from earlier forms of folk entertainment. The word Bhavai in the sense of show or spectacle occurs in the 13th century Apabhramsa Jain religious verse. It says: "In a tree-less tract even a bunch of eranda (caster oil plant) makes a good show (Bhavai)." Abul Fazal’s Ain-e-Akbari also mentions Bhavai while mentioning some communities.

Overview

Bhavai is partly entertainment and partly a ritual offering made to Goddess Amba. In the courtyard of the Ambaji temple near Mount Abu the Navratri festival is celebrated with Bhavai performances. Amba is the presiding deity of Bhavai. Bhavai according to some scholars is made up of two words - Bhava and Aai. Bhava means universe and aai is mother, together it means mother of the universe, Amba.

Subtle social criticism laced with pungent humour is the speciality of Bhavai. The pompous and incongrous behaviour of high caste people is scoffed at in Bhavai. Probably the anger over injustice suffered by the originator of Bhavai, Asaita Thakar, permeated the art of Bhavai. Some of the Bhavai plays present a scathing review of the caste-ridden social structure. People belonging to different levels of social strata ranging from king to knave are portrayed in Bhavai.

Bhavai plays

Bhavai Veshas portray people from all classes of society. The barbers, knife-sharpeners, robbers, bangle sellers and social and economic thieves, banjaras, odas, fakirs and sadhus, darjis. There is a Vesha depicting the story of ansuccesful love affair of a Bania woman and a Muslim Thanedar. At the end of the play Jasma Odan, a Muslim fakir appears to whom people request to revive Jasma.

Humor plays a vital part in any Bhavai performance and comes into play even while dealing with mythological personages. This predominance makes Bhavai unique among the traditional arts of India.

The chief of the Bhavai troupe is called Nayak. He first marks the performing arena, then offers kumkum to the oil-torch which is a symbol of goddess Amba and sings prayer songs in her praise. Then enters an actor covering his face with a plate, he is Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Goddess Kali is the next to enter and after she departs comes the Brahmana. After these preliminary appearances the Vesha actually starts.

The Nayak and the jester always remain on the stage directing the course of action with their commentary and intervention. Through songs, dialogues, speeches in prose and verse the story unfolds. There is lot of dancing and singing in Bhavai. Female characters are acted by men.

The language of Bhavai is a blend of Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, and Marwari. Veshas were published for the first time in the nineteenth century. Past performances were linked to their predecessors through practice and the oral tradition.

The bhungal is a four feet long copper pipe that provides a strong note and is unique to Bhavai. The bhungals are played during dance sequences and otherwise to indicate important characters. Other musical instruments that form part of Bhavai are the pakhawaj (drums), jhanjha (cymbals), the sarangi (a stringed instrument), and the harmonium. The style of music is always Hindustani interspersed with local tunes.

Bhavai is also prevalent in Rajasthan as a spectacular folk dance. The Dance form consists of veiled women dancers balancing up to seven or nine brass pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on the top of a glass or on the edge of the sword. There is a sense of cutting edge suspense and nail biting acts in the dance. In short Bhavai is reflection of our own society

See also

• Bhavai dance
• Ghoomar: Ghoomar is a traditional women's folk dance of Rajasthan, India.
• Rajasthani people
• Rajasthan
• Pushkar Lake:is located in the town of Pushkar in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan state of western India. Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus.