Sacred Dance of India

Author(s): Mrinalini Sarabhai
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 39

Folk Dance
The unity and diversity of a country can be seen through its folk theatre and the natya in India with its exciting and harmonious blend of dancedrama and music, is a superb example For instance, the theme of Siva and Parvati, the male and the female, purusha and prakriti, is depicted in almost every dance form The human being, since the beginning of awareness, used dancing as a means of propitiating the gods, of mirroring the society in which men lived, and to depict sheer exuberance, sorrow and emotional relief All dance was prayer
The saint Tukaram sang "Thou are identical with all means of worship If I may give Thee ablution of water, Thou art Thyself Thou art the scent of scents and the fragrance of flowers If I am to sing a song, Thou art that song If I sound the cymbals, Thou art those, for the whole world is filled by Thee”
In Gujarat, during the nine nights before Dassera, the 'Bhavar' is enacted, before the temples of the Mother Goddess Amba "When I enter the stage (paud)”, says the Bhavai (actor), "the goddess of power possesses my face and the goddess of learning, my tongue"
It was a Brahmin who first created the Bhavaz Hailing from the Audichya community, his name was Asaita Thaker When he settled in a village called Unzha, so pleased were the villagers that they promised to protect all Bhavar players
Asaita created many compositions, humorous and satirical such as Joothan Mran, and instructive such as Ram Dev
A long passage through the crowd which sits on all sides is cleared for the entrance of the players The drums used are the pakhaway, or narghan (tabla) The bhungals, which are long slender pipes, build up the
Folk Dance (Rajasthan)
Dandia Ras (Rajasthan)