Rajasthan’s Phad performers bring Pabu Ji’s tale to Chandigarh

The Government Museum and Art Gallery auditorium in Sector 10, Chandigarh, came alive on Sunday evening with a captivating session of Phad, a form of storytelling from Rajasthan. Veteran storytellers, Om Prakash and Topa Devi, presented the 14th-century tale of Pabu Ji, a deity, whose story has been preserved in their family for generations.

For Prakash and Devi, who have been performing in Sector 17 since past two years, this was their first performance on a formal stage in Chandigarh.

What is Phad?

Phad is performed using a painted scroll made by the Joshi community of Bhilwara district. The scroll, created with four basic colours, depicts various episodes in a non-linear sequence. During the performance, the bhopa (male storyteller) narrates and sings, while the bhopi (his wife) holds an oil lamp (diya) near the visual being described to light up different parts of the scroll.

A tradition under threat

Phad is a tradition, which has been orally passed down from one generation to the next.  “In our childhood, we learned it by watching,” said the performers. “Now, children consider it noise, not music. Our own kids have never touched the ravan hatta. If this continues, Pabu Ji’s story will be lost.”

A call for support

Prakash and Devi, who want to preserve this tradition for future generations, are happy that organisations are now coming forward to organise such shows, which they feel, will help people learn about this traditional art form. “A person you see performing on the street might be a genealogist with 700 years of collective memory,” they say.