Ghatu, Ghetu Gaan, or Ghetu Song is a type traditional cultural song of the Eastern Part of the

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 ...

. The songs were traditionally sung during the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

season, though the tradition is on the decline. The festival was mainly held in north-eastern side of

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

and lower part of

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

History

The first day of

Bhadro Bhadro ( ''Bhadrô'') is the fifth month in the Bengali calendar. Bhadro marks the beginning of autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn m ...

(5th month of

Bengali calendar The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar (, colloquially , or , , "Bangla Year") is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. In contrast to the traditional Indian Hindu calendar, which begins with the month Chait ...

) started on the eve of Bisharjan of Manasha (

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 ...

: মনসার ভাসান) and later celebrated on the day of

Vijaya Dashami Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed on ...

during the monsoon season. The festival revolves around a teenage boy. The boy dresses in shari and grows out his hair, with the intent of resembling a girl. The very young boys were sexually abused and that contributed to the decline of this form of music. During the festival he plays the role of pantomime by dancing or otherwise representing the Ghatu song. The Ghatu songs are mainly oriented around

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God and gender in Hinduism, God, in several Krishnaism, Kr ...

In popular culture

* The film ''

Ghetuputra Komola ''Ghetuputra Komola'' (, ''Gheṭuputro Kômola'', Pleasure Boy Komola) is a 2012 Bangladeshi musical film written and directed by Humayun Ahmed and produced by Impress Telefilm. The film is Ahmed's last film before his death. It received Nation ...

'' by

Humayun Ahmed Humayun Ahmed ( Help:IPA/Bengali, �umajuːn aɦmed 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi novelist, Playwdramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and academic. His breakthrough was his debut novel ''Nondito Noro ...

was based on the life of a young Ghatu Singer.

References

{{Culture of West Bengal Bengali folk songs Culture of Bangladesh Arts in Bangladesh Culture in Sylhet