Tamasha () 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 () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

."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 the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Marathi language, which is widely spoken in the state of Maharashtra. It is based out of Mumbai. It is the oldest film industry in India an ...

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. Lavani h ...

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

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

Kathak ''Kathak'' is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as ''Kathakar'' ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the ...

dance,

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

, lalit and

kirtan Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirt ...

. 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 The Kolhati are an Indian nomadic community that form a subgroup of the Banjara people. They belong to central India and Maharashtra. They traditionally are professional entertainers and acrobats. They are classified as a nomadic tribe by the gover ...

groups are traditionally associated with the performance of Tamasha.

Etymology

The word "Tamasha" is a loanword from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, which in turn loaned it from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

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

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

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 ...

and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

, 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, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

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

Satavahana The Satavahanas (; ''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras (also ''Andhra-bhṛtyas'' or ''Andhra-jatiyas'') in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavaha ...

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 was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

period of

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

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

Kirtan Sikh ''kirta''n with Indian harmoniums and '' Kenya.html" ;"title="tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya">tabla'' drums (a common and popular pairing), in Kenya (1960s) ''Kirtana'' (; ), also rendered as ''Kiirtan'', ''Kirt ...

, and Waghya-murali, part of Khandoba Bhakti Geet, amongst worshippers of the local god

Khandoba Khandoba (IAST: Khaṇḍobā), also known as Martanda Bhairava and Malhari, is a Hindu deity worshiped generally as a manifestation of Shiva mainly in the Deccan Plateau of India, especially in the state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. He ...

. 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, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

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 Patthe Bapurao (11 November 1868 – 22 December 1941) was a Marathi singer-poet in the Tamasha usical theatreHe has a son Govind Shridhar Kulkarni and daughter-in-law Nalini Govind Kulkarni. He also composed several Vags, dramatic and humorous ...

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 Bashir Kamruddin Momin (1 March 1947 – 12 November 2021), also known as Bashir Momin Kavathekar and popularly known by his pen name Momin Kavathekar, also known as Lokshahir B. K. Momin Kavathekar, was a popular Marathi language poet and writ ...

wrote extensively for the famous Tamasha Troupes like Datta Mahadik Punekar, Raghuvir Khedkar, Kalu Balu Kawalapurkar, Surekha Punekar. Bashir Momin (Kavathekar) wrote short vag-natya based on the prevailing situations, challenges and on the topics which requires mass awareness about social issues like dowry, education. Some of his popular vag-natya's are 'Eshkane Ghetla Bali', 'Tambada Futala Raktacha', 'Bhakt Kabeer' & 'Bhangale Swapna Maharashtra'. Momin Kavathekar also wrote songs & Lavani's that enthralled the audiences, helped in sustaining popularity of the 'Tamasha' and earned him 'Vithabai Narayangavkar Lifetime Achievement Award' for his lifelong contribution. As the textile industry started developing in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(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 Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive is located here. History Girgaon has a deep-rooted connection with the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi, particularly ...

. 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 instance of social classification based on castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, espe ...

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

Satyashodhak Samaj Satyashodhak Samaj (''Truth-seekers' Society'') was a social reform society founded by Jyotiba Phule in Pune, Maharashtra, on 24 September 1873. The society endeavoured to mitigate the distress and sufferings of Dalits and women. It espoused a m ...

founded by

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

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

proscenium A proscenium (, ) is the virtual 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 itself, which serves as the frame ...

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

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 (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

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 States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

, 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, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

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 special 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 ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu c ...

, 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 Phadn ...

'' by

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

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 Tendulka ...

's Marathi adaptations of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert 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'' (, 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 Berlau. The play was begun in 1938 but no ...

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

Caucasian Chalk Circle ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' () 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 better mother than the baby's wealthy b ...

'' as ''Ajab Nyaya Vartulacha'' (1974),

P. L. Deshpande Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (alternatively written as Pu La Deshpande; 8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra. He was also an a ...

's ''Teen paishacha Tamasha'' (1978), an adaptation of Brecht's ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "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 V ...

''.

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 language, Marathi, in addition to being an ENT Surgeon. He was known for his character roles in films. He acted in over 250 fi ...

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 Superstar of Marathi cinema from the 1950s up to the 1980s. Personal life Jayshree was born into a Gaud Sarswat Brahmin family at Kanasgiri ...

, ''

Sawaal Majha Aika! ''Sawaal Majha Aika!'' () is a 1964 Marathi-language Indian musical film. The film is produced and directed by Anant Govind Mane under his banner "Chetana Chitra". The storyline of the film is based on a traditional theatre form called Tamasha. ...

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

Ek Hota Vidushak ''Ek Hota Vidushak'' () 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 lead roles and Mohan Agashe a ...

'' (1992) by

Jabbar Patel Dr. Jabbar Patel (born 23 June 1942) is a former paediatrician and a Marathi-language theatre and film director of India. His production of Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre. ...

, ''

Natarang ''Natarang'', also spelled Natrang (, an wikt:ornamental, ornamental word for "artist", especially a theatre artist), is a 2010 Indian Marathi language, Marathi-language Drama (film and television), drama film directed by debutant Ravi Jadhav an ...

'' (2010) by

Ravi Jadhav Ravindra Jadhav (born 22 September 1971) known professionally as Ravi Jadhav is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Marathi musical drama ''Natarang'' in 2010. Ravi studied in Sir J.J ...

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 Vishwas Patil (born 28 November 1959) is an Indian author and an officer in Indian Administrative Service. He completed his masters M.A. in English Literature and a degree in Law. Works *''Lust for Lalbaug'', novel about Great Bombay textil ...

, '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'' () is an Indian word meaning "spectacle". The company has brought contemporary Asian-influenced dr ...

. * In the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

and

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

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

Kiswahili Swahili, also known as as it is referred to in the Swahili language, is a Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent littoral i ...

language "tamasha" means show or festival. * In

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

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

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

, ''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