Bhānds (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: भांड;

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: بھانڈ,

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). Commonly regarded as a Sikh script, Gurmukhi is used in Punjab, India as the official scrip ...

: ਭੰਡ,

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: ভাঁড়) are the traditional folk entertainers of India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an

endogamous Endogamy is the cultural practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting any from outside of the group or belief structure as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relatio ...

Hindu and Muslim community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists. Payment for performances is usually voluntary: often, one performer goes around the audience collecting money on a "pay-what-you-can" basis while the others continue to perform.

Bahand Pather of Kashmir

''Bahand Pather'' is a ''bahand'' of the

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

region in which stories commemorating the lives of (Sufi sages, both Hindus and Muslims) or more contemporary real or fictional figures are enacted. The storylines (or ''pathers'') are often humorous and satirical, and

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

is an essential component of the plays.

Naqal of Punjab

''Naqal'' (mimicry) is a strong ''bahand'' tradition in the Punjab region. The ''naqalchi'' (mimic, sometimes called the ''

bahrupiya A behrupiya or bahrupiya ( Hindustani: बहरूपिया or بہروپیا) is an impressionist in the traditional performing arts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Once popular and widespread, the art form is now in decline with most practit ...

'') adopts the persona of a well-known person or character and improvises, using satire and farce extensively, to entertain the audience.

Notable people

Janki Lal Bhand Janki Lal Bhand (born 1943), also known as Monkey Man and ''बहरूपिया बाबा'', is an Indian Saang and Behrupiya, Behrupiya (impersonation) artist from Rajasthan. He is renowned for his mastery of the traditional art of disgu ...

, Padma Shri

References

{{Indian Muslim Muslim communities of India Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan Folk artists Performing arts in India Performing castes Performing arts in Pakistan

Bahand Pather of Kashmir

Naqal of Punjab

Notable people

See Also

References