Bhand-Marasi community waiting to be rescued

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 7

Giving a boost of life to the Thathera community in Jandiala Guru through sustainable development by financial and cultural support, the Sangeet Natak Academi is reviewing its other project on reviving the traditional folk community of Bhands and Marasis. The project, led by theatre director Rajendra Singh, has completed the documentation of the community in and around Amritsar and is now waiting for the second grant release for the next phase.

The popular medieval folk art form in Punjab is fighting for survival with dwindling numbers of artists and migration problems due to lack of public support. “The Sangeet Natak Academi had earlier released two lakh rupees for documentation and identification of the community of artists. We had identified sixteen groups of artists in Amritsar, Jalandhar and peripheries, who are still continuing with the traditional art of musical satires and social commentary and also did a performance review of the eight groups. We also engaged them in workshops and recorded the changes in art form over the period of time,” said Rajendra Singh.

The Sangeet Natak Academy has joined hands with Unesco and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to push for a revival of one of the oldest community of folk artists in Punjab and also promote it to be included in the Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage projects list in India. Working on the project and interacting with the community for past two years, Rajendra has observed that the community has been forced to live as ‘outcasts’ due to their loud lifestyle and meager earnings. “Most bhands and marasis, who once used to earn their living by singing in religious ceremonies or weddings, are now considered ‘beggars’ and not artists. They find their origins from Bhai Mardana, one of the followers of Guru Nanak Dev and the community excels in social commentary through music and songs. It was believed that Bhands used to give human analysis of every culture or community through their singing. Today, most of the families, barely survive by migrating to other states like Madhya Pradesh or Bihar to perform. Lack of education, income source and being a closed community with its own set rules and principles; they are living a life of ambiguity, with no future in sight.”

The research work on the project now aims at reviving the artists through organized workshops and bridging the gap between the younger audience and the traditional art form. “Since, it’s a satirical art genre, with loud references and music, we have conducted a few workshops with the artists to improvise their style to suit the younger audience. We are also trying to infuse the bhand style of art with contemporary theatre to expand their target audience," says Singh, an NSD alumni and noted theater director.

Recently, Suman Kumar, deputy secretary, Drama and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Sangeet Natak Academi also visited and met the artist from community to know about their conditions. He too stressed on more research and revival projects for the folk traditions that are losing their identity in contemporary world.