Pandavani
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Pandavani (lit.: Songs and Stories of the Pandavas) is a folk singing style involving narration of tales from the ancient Indian epic
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
. The singing also involves musical accompaniment.
Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The ''Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. Af ...
, the second of the
Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...
is the hero of the story in this style. This form of folk theatre is popular in the central Indian state of
Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
and in the neighbouring areas of
Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
,
Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...
and
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. Jhaduram Dewangan and
Teejan Bai Teejan Bai (born 8 August 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments. She has been awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma ...
are the most renowned singers of this style. Among contemporary artists, Ritu Verma is popular along with others such as Shantibai Chelak and Usha Barle


Origins

The origins of this singing style are not known and according to its foremost singer Teejan Bai, it might be as old as the Mahabharata itself, as few people could read in those times and that is how perhaps they passed on their stories generation after generation. Traditionally, Pandavani was performed exclusively by men. Since the 1980s, however, women also began to present Pandavani. Pandavani can be understood as a part of the tradition of the tellers-of-tales present in every culture or tradition (like
Baul The Baul ( bn, বাউল) are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism, Vaishnavism and Tantra from Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitut ...
singers of Bengal and
Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...
performers), where ancient epics, anecdotes and stories are recounted or re-enacted to educate and entertain the masses.


About the style

Pandavani, literally means stories or songs of the
Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...
, the legendary brothers of
Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
, and involves the lead singer, enacting and singing an episode (called ', ) from the epic with an ektara or a ''tambura'' (stringed musical instrument), decorated with small bells and peacock feathers in one hand and sometimes ''kartal'' (a pair of cymbals) on another. During a performance, as the story builds, the tambura becomes a prop, sometimes to personify Bhima's 'gadaa' mace, or Arjun's bow or chariot, or the hair of queen Draupadi or Dushasan thus helping the narrator-singer play all the characters of story. The form does not employ any stage props or settings. With the use of mimicry and rousing theatrical movements, once in a while the singer-narrator breaks into an impromptu dance at the completion of an episode or to celebrate a victory in the story being retold. The singer is usually supported by a group of performers on Harmonium, Tabla, Dholak, Manjira and two or three singers who sing the refrain and provide backing vocals. Each singer adds his or her unique style to the singing, sometimes adding local words, improvising and offering critique on current happenings and insights through the story. Gradually, as the story progresses, the performance becomes more intense and experiential with added dance movements. An element of surprise is often used. The lead singer continuously interacts with the accompanying singers, who ask questions, give commentary and interjections; thus enhancing the dramatic effect of the performance. The performance can last for several hours on a single episode of Mahabharata. What starts out as a simple story narration turns into full-fledged ballad.


Variations (Shaili)

* Vedamati – the style of narration is said to be based on Sabbal Singh Chauhan's Mahabharat written in the Doha-Chaupal Metre. The term Veda is loosely used to refer to text. This style was made popular by Jhaduram Devangan. Other exponents of this style are Poonaram Nishad, Ritu Verma, Rewaram Sahu. * Kapalik – the style of narration where the performer is free to improvise consistently on episodes and characters in the epic. The term Kapal is of significance here as it refers to memory or experience which inform the content of the performance. Teejan Bai is an exponent of this genre of pandwani. Usha Barle, Shanti Bai are also the performers of this style.


Impact on popular culture

Influences of Pandavani can be clearly seen in the plays of
Habib Tanvir Habib Tanvir (1 September 1923 – 8 June 2009) was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He was the writer of plays such as, ''Agra Bazar'' (1954) and '' Charandas Chor'' (1975). A pi ...
, who used folk singers of
Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
in his plays, creating a free-style story narration format, typical of Pandavani.


Exponents of Pandavani

* Jhaduram Devangan *
Punaram Nishad Punaram Nishad, born in Ringni, Dist Durg Chhattisgarh, is an Indian folk musician, known for his prowess in the Pandavani, a folk music tradition of Chhattisgarh and the neighbouring states in India. Born in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, (th ...
*
Teejan Bai Teejan Bai (born 8 August 1956) is an exponent of Pandavani, a traditional performing art form, from Chhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from the Mahabharata, with musical accompaniments. She has been awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma ...
* Ritu Verma *
Chetan Dewangan Chetan may refer to: * Chetan (name), an Indian and Nepalese given name * Chetan, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Chetan, Kurdistan, a village in Kurdistan Province, Iran * Lucian Chetan Lucian of Samosata, '; la, Lucianus Sam ...
* Shantibai Chelak *
Usha Barle Usha may refer to: Geography *Usha (city), an ancient city in western part of Galilee, Israel * Usha, Israel, a modern kibbutz * Usha, Bardhaman, a village in India Personal name Mythology * Ushas or Usha, a Vedic goddess *Uṣā, daughter of Asu ...


See also

*
Music of Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh is a state of India with strong tribal traditions of music and dance. The state of Chhattisgarh is best known for its deep roots in folk music, which originated from its long history of tribal involvement. History Situated geograph ...


References


External links


Pandavi at indiaheritage

The Hindu article


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20091027105653/http://www.geocities.com/harindranath_a/maha/mbh_theatre.html Mahabharata as Theatre {{Folk music Performing arts in India Indian folk music Culture of Chhattisgarh Mahabharata