Keeping alive dying art of bazigars

At the Punjab Sakhi Shakti Craft Mela underway at the Sheesh Mahal, the performances of bazigars (acrobats) not only encouraged the audience to eat nutritious food and take care of their health but also delivered a strong message of drug de-addiction to the youth.

This group of eight bazigars from Maur Mandi, including Kesar Singh, brought by the North Zone Cultural Centre, is continuously entertaining visitors and reconnecting people with this ancient art.

Kesar Singh shared that he belonged to the third generation of bazigars in his family. Of his two sons, Jaswinder Singh is pursuing ITI, while Sandeep Singh, currently in Class X, also performs as bazigar. He expressed regret that this traditional art has nearly vanished in villages. Such performances are now seen only in fairs. Therefore, he feels that the fifth generation of his family may not be able to continue this art.

Kesar Singh further explained that among his fellow performers, Mandeep Singh jumps onto a wooden plank from a 15-foot-high platform. He himself passes through a cane tunnel made using two bamboo poles tied together. Jaswinder Singh, Pappu Singh and he also passed through an iron ring measuring 1 foot 4 inches. Joginder Singh bends an iron rod using only the strength of his chest. The group also performs various gymnastics acts, which have been widely appreciated by the audience.

Kesar Singh expressed gratitude to the Punjab Government for giving them an opportunity to perform at the fair. He also conveyed a message to the people to eat healthy food, maintain good health and stay away from drugs. The name bazigar, derived from the Urdu word bazi, means an acrobat. They reportedly took to the occupation of acrobatics to escape persecution and attempt to forcibly convert them to Islam during the period of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.