Living Traditions: Festival of Uttar Pradesh – Day 2

Birha gayan by Dipesh Kumar & group

Birha is a popular folk form of eastern U.P. and western parts of Bihar, where Bhojpuri is the predominant language. The term birha is derived from ‘birah’ indicating pain or agony. These songs describe distressing social issues that are closely linked to the lives of common people and hence serve the purpose of social awakening along with entertainment. Birha includes several song-types such as purvi, keherwa, khemta, sohar, pachra, tilak geet, videshiya, uthan, tek and others.
Originally a domain of male artistes, this form is also practised by female artistes today.

Mayur dance by Barkha Singh & group

Mayur (also known as mayur-morni) is a dance tradition from the region of Braj. It is customarily performed during monsoon to celebrate the gaiety and enrapturing beauty of nature. As the name suggests, this charming dance is performed by dancers dressed like peacocks and peahens, complete with the vibrant plumage. They also use typical movements and gestures of the bird. The peacock, imagined as Lord Krishna, offers his abiding love to his beloved Radha. As she, the peahen, joins the celebration, the dance gains momentum and soon reaches crescendo.

Subhagi: Nautanki folk play

A Presentation by Santosh Kumar & group

The play is based on a story by the renowned novelist, Munshi Premchand. Adopted into nautanki, which is a folk form that is most popular with the masses in North India, the play portrays the plight of the downtrodden, especially women. The story revolves around Subhagi, a young widow, who, with her determination and hard work, becomes the symbol of female power and self-respect.

The play also includes songs accompanied by dance and local instruments like manjira and nagada along with harmonium, dholak and more.

Box Office now open.