Tamasha ( mr, तमाशा) is a traditional form of

Marathi theatre Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maharashtra in India, and elsewhere with Marathi diaspora. Starting in the middle of the 19th century, it flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ...

, often with singing and dancing, widely performed by local or travelling theatre groups within the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

."Tamasha", in James R. Brandon and Martin Banham (eds), ''The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre'', pp. 108-9. It has also been the subject of several

Marathi film Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was '' S ...

s. Some Hindi movies have also included Tamasha-themed songs, known as

Lavani Lavani () is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra, India. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of ''Dholki'', a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm. Lavan ...

s, in the past. Traditional Tamasha is influenced by many Indian art forms and draws from such diverse traditions as kaveli,

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

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 ...

dance,

dashavatara The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", an ...

, lalit and

kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance art ...

. There are two types of Tamasha: ''dholki bhaari'' and the older form, ''sangeet baari'' which contains more dance and music than drama. In Maharashtra, the Kolhati groups are traditionally associated with the performance of Tamasha.

Etymology

The word "Tamasha" is a loanword from Persian, which in turn loaned it from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

br>
meaning a show or theatrical entertainment of some kind. The word has spread to Armenian language, Armenian,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Marathi, to mean "fun" or "play". In Armenian language "To do Tamasha" means "To follow an interesting process or entertainment". Colloquially the word has come to represent commotion, or any activity or display with bustle and excitement, sometimes in the sense of "a tempest in a teacup".

History

Origin and early years

The region of

, has had a long theatrical tradition, one of the early references was found in the cave inscriptions at

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...

by Gautami Balashri, the mother of the 1st-century

Satavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the l ...

ruler, Gautamiputras Satakarni. The inscription mentions him organizing Utsava and Samaja, forms off theatrical entertainment for his subjects. Tamasha acquired a distinct form in late

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

period of

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

, in the 18th century, Varadpande, p. 163 and incorporated elements of older traditional forms like Dasavatar, Gondhal,

Kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance art ...

, and Waghya-murali, part of Khandoba Bhakti Geet, amongst worshippers of the local god Khandoba. In Maharashtra, there are two types of Tamasha, first is ''dholaki fadcha'' Tamasha and the other is ''sangeet baaricha'' Tamasha. Dholaki Fadcha tamasha is complete art, which includes song, dance, and theater. Now in

there are only 18 to 20 full-time tamasha parties. Each tamasha mandal performs approximately 210 days in all over Maharashtra and also some border villages of Karnataka and Gujarat. Traditional Tamasha format consisted of dancing-boys known as ''Nachya'', who also played women's roles, a poet-composer known as ''Shahir'', who played the traditional role of ''Sutradhar'' or a

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs ...

known as ''Songadya'', who compered the show. However, with time, women started taking part in Tamasha. Marathi theatre made its beginning in 1843, and in the following years, Tamasha which was primarily constituted of singing and dancing expanded its thematic repertoire and added small dramatic and humorous skits, known as '' Vag Natya'', to it. These were either in prose or comprised long narrative poems performed by the Shahir along with his chorus, with actors improvising their lines. Popular Vag composers of the time were Patthe Bapurao and Dattoba Sali, and one of their noted vag, ''Gadhavache Lagna'' (Marriage of Donkey) was popularized by Tamasha artist, Dadu Idurikar. Soon, noted Marathi writers started written Vags for Tamasha troupes. Varadpande, p. 170 Lokshahir Bashir Momin Kavathekar wrote extensively for the famous Tamasha Troupes like Datta Mahadik Punekar, Raghuvir Khedkar, Kalu Balu Kawalapurkar, Surekha Punekar. Momin Kavathekar wrote short dramas based on the prevailing situations, challenges and on the topics which include spreading the social awareness about various issues such as AIDS, dowry, education. As the textile industry started developing in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

(then Bombay) in the 19th century, workers migrated here from the rural areas in large numbers. Soon their theatre did too, initially rural tamasha companies were invited to the city for performances. Though later numerous local tamasha companies flourished, patronized by mill workers living in Girgaum. Traditional tamasha practitioners were from castes like Kolhati, Mahar, Mang and Bhatu from rural regions of Maharashtra, labelled low castes within the

Indian caste system The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic example of classification of castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mu ...

. Thus, in the late 19th century, religious reformers employed tamasha to castigate the caste system of the region. During the same period, Satyashodhak Samaj founded by

Jyotirao Phule Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890) was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including erad ...

started organizing ''Satyashodhaki jalsa'', which used the tamasha tradition in its political and reformist theatre, which was an amalgamation of

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

tamasha and

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or universi ...

. Government of Maharashtra has instituted annual award in the memory of late ''Vithabai Narayangavkar Lifetime Achievement Award'' for those who had extensively contributed to the preservation and propagation of the Tamasha Art. The award is being conferred since 2006 and noted recipients of the awards are Kantabai Satarkar, Vasant Avsarikar, Sulochana Nalawade, Haribhau Badhe, Mangala Bansode, Sadhu Patsute, Ankush Khade, Prabha Shivanekar, Bhima Sangavikar, Gangaram Kavathekar, Radhabai Khode Nashikkar, Madhukar Nerale. For year 2018, Lokshahir Bashir Momin Kavathekar has been conferred with this award for his lifelong contribution to the field of Tamasha through his prolific lavani's & Vag's. Folk artist Ms Gulab bai Sangamnerkar has been selected for this year 2019's award.

Post-independence

The rise of modern

movement in the post-independence era, which was largely "literary drama" from with a Westernized idiom, tamasha like other prevalent indigenous theatre forms, like '' jatra'' in

Odisha 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 ...

and ''

bhavai Bhavai, also known as ''Vesha'' or ''Swang'', is a popular folk theatre form of western India, especially in Gujarat. Etymology ''Bhavai'' may derive from the Sanskrit word ''Bhava'', meaning expression or emotion. It is also associated wit ...

'' in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, was also deemed "debased", even "corrupt", while being relegated to being only "folk" form. The turning away of urban middle class audience from traditional forms, cause a disruption in the theatrical traditions besides creating a divide between urban and rural theatre, as tamasha continued to flourish out the urban pockets. In 2002, the state had 450 tamasha troupes with approximately 10,000 artistes.

Influence

Main elements of tamasha, like loud humour, suggestive lyrics and dance numbers, proved influential in the development the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

idiom, which is based in Mumbai. Even today, the mainstream cinema or Masala films, complete with their suggestive dance numbers, now known as

item number In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and ...

, and humour sequences remain largely entertainment oriented. Over the years, some modern theatre practitioners have incorporated the traditional forms like tamasha and dashavatar into their plays. In the 1970s, during the rise of modernMarathi theatre, the tamasha form was employed as narrative device and style in several notable plays like ''

Ghashiram Kotwal '' Kotwal'' is a Marathi play written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1972 as a response to the rise of a local political party, in Maharashtra. The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. It is based on the life of Nana Phadnav ...

'' by

Vijay Tendulkar Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. His Marathi plays established him as ...

Vijaya Mehta Vijaya Mehta (born 4 November 1934), is a noted Indian Marathi film and theatre director and also an actor in many films from the Parallel Cinema. She is a founder member of Mumbai-based theatre group, Rangayan with playwright Vijay Tendulkar ...

's Marathi adaptations of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's ''

The Good Woman of Setzuan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (german: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berla ...

'' as ''Devajine Karuna Keli'' (1972) and ''

Caucasian Chalk Circle ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' (german: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a bet ...

'' as ''Ajab Nyaya Vartulacha'' (1974), P. L. Deshpande's ''Teen paishacha Tamasha'' (1978), an adaptation of Brecht's ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

''.

In popular culture

The 1972, Marathi hit film, '' Pinjra'' directed by V. Shantaram, starring

Shriram Lagoo Dr.Shriram Lagoo (16 November 1927 – 17 December 2019) was an Indian film and theatre actor, in Hindi and Marathi, in addition to being an ENT Surgeon. He was known for his character roles in films. He acted in over 250 films including Hind ...

and Sandhya in lead roles was set in the Tamasha musical theatre. Besides this other Marathi films made of Tamasha include, ''Sangte Aika'' (1959) directed by Anand Mane and starring

Jayshree Gadkar Jayshree Gadkar (21 February 1942 – 29 August 2008) was a noted Marathi and Hindi movie actress and a star of Marathi cinema from the 1950s up to the 1980s. Personal life Jayshree was born into a Konkani-speaking family at Kanasgiri ( Sa ...

, ''

Sawaal Majha Aika! ''Sawaal Majha Aika!'' (English translation: ''Listen to My Question!'') is a Marathi Indian black and white film released in 1964. The film is produced and directed by Anant Govind Mane under his banner "Chetana Chitra". The storyline of the fi ...

'' (1964) by Anant Mane and starring Jayshree Gadkar, ''

Ek Hota Vidushak ''Ek Hota Vidushak'' ( en, Once There Was A Clown) is a 1992 Marathi film directed by Jabbar Patel and produced by National Film Development Corporation of India. The film stars Laxmikant Berde, Madhu Kambikar, Nilu Phule, Varsha Usgaonkar in l ...

'' (1992) by Jabbar Patel, ''

Natarang ''Natarang'', also spelled Natrang ( mr, नटरंग, an ornamental word for "artist", especially a theatre artist), is a 2010 Indian Marathi-language drama film directed by debutant Ravi Jadhav and starring Atul Kulkarni and Sonalee Kulkarn ...

'' (2010) by Ravi Jadhav and ''Tamasha - Hach Khel Udya Punha'' (2011) by Milind Pednekar. A 2006 multilingual documentary film, '' Silent Ghungroos'', traces the origins of Tamasha in the

period to its contemporary form, where the form competes with modern entertainment mediums. Many books have been written in the Marathi language which dwells on the Tamasha as an art, its problem, artist & their contributions. Few notable books are 'Tamasha-Kala aani Jivan' by Dr Chandanshive, 'Vagsamradni Kantabai Satarkar' by Dr Khedlekar, 'Kalavantanchya Aathavani' by B.K. Momin Kavathekar, 'Gabhulalelya Chandrabanat' (a fictional love story) by Vishwas Patil, 'Tmashatil Songadya' by B. S. Shinde, 'Tamshatil Stree Kalavant- Jivan aani Samasya' by Dr. Sadhana Burade and 'Tamasha Lokrangabhumi' by Rustum AchalKhamb.

Tamasha in other languages

The word ''tamasha'' has been used in book and plays titles, including, Jaipur Tamasha, and theatre company,

Tamasha Theatre Company Tamasha Theatre Company is a British theatre company founded in 1989 by director Kristine Landon-Smith and actor-writer Sudha Bhuchar. ''Tamasha'' ( mr, तमाशा) is an Indian word meaning "spectacle". The company has brought contemporary ...

. * In the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

and

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

language, ''tamasha'' means funny. * In the

Kiswahili Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...

language "tamasha" means show or festival. * In

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

language, ''tamasha'' means joke. * In the

Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken ...

, ''tamasha'' (or in some dialects ''tamsha'') means joke or messing around. * In the Chuvash language "tamasha" means distress or curiosity, brings amazement effect into dialogue, and also means fun of silly situation in theatre or life. * In the Malay language "temasya" means event or festival.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, author=Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker, title=Theatres of Independence: Drama, Theory, and Urban Performance in India Since 1947, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mLQaz-12Eo8C&pg=PA378, year=2009, publisher=University of Iowa Press, isbn=978-1-58729-642-0, ref=Dh