Characteristics of Folk drama

The characteristics of folk drama are discussed below with special reference to folk dramas of Assam.

1. Folk drama is the composite art form of music, dance and drama. “Regional and folk drama has been a mixed form embracing dialogue, dance and music.”^[1] Kamrupia Dhulia, Puppetry, Kushangan, Bharigan etc.are examples of such kind of folk drama practiced in Assam which are predominant of songs and music.

2. Folk dramas are religious as well as secular in content.Local legends and mythology, folk stories of romance and valour and biographical accounts of local heroes gets focus on folk dramas.

3. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the main sources for the themes of folk drama of Assam as well as India. Even Asian countries like Indonesia, Malayesia, Cambodia etc. draws stories from the Ramayana.

4. Folk dramas are predominantly art of the folk people.Many folk drama performances are seasonal. Performers as well as audience of folk dramas are mainly members from folk society. During the sowing or harvesting season, both performers and audience may employ in their farming activities and could hardly take part.So the months from after harvesting to the next sowing operations are recognized as season for performance. However, there are differences in views of scholars regarding the role of audience and performer in folk drama.“Scholars also have debated the constitution and role of both actors and audience,asking,for example,whether the audience must be local for a drama to be “folk”; whether or not the actors can be paid or trained professionals (Domotor 1981);and,perhaps most importantly, whether the existence of an audience and the way in which the audience frames the event might be a defining feature (Abrahams 1969; Ellis 1981). Such distinctions frequently have been the basis for differentiating folk from popular and elite drama, although such divisions likely are more of degree than kind (Pettitt 1995).”^[2]

5. Folk drama performance does not require any permanent or special stage. Temple yard or an open space is choose for performance of folk drama.The audience sit all around in the open space.In case of Assam,audience of folk drama sit on paddy straw laid down on the ground. Bharata muni, the author of Natyasashtra had classified the stage under two heads-namely Lokadharmi and Natyadharmi. “Lokadharmi, having the traits of people,that is naturalistic, and Natyadharmi, having the traits of theatrical behaviour,that is stylized.”^[3] Folk drama is Lokadharmi and performance space of folk drama can be of various forms and shapes.“It can be a special sacred space or,an ordinary space made special and sacred by demarcating and consecrating it.The ordinary space used for a variety of social and secular performances can be fields after the harvest, market squares,public parks and gardens,street and fair grounds.It can be a space,surrounding the sacrificial altar (vedi) as was the case with the vedic rituals,or a variety of space in a temple complex for many types of performances from ritual events to such highly evolved dramatic forms as Kuttiyattam and Krishnattam.A performance event,such as a celebration in the social life of the community of an offering to the Gods,is a vital factor in selecting and conditioning the forms and nature of the theatrical space.Performances are also held in front of the village temple all over the country.Examples are ritualistic Rasa dances on the Krishna legend,the Lai Haraoba processional ritual in Manipur,or the Teyyam ritual dances in Kerala.Terrukuttu,Lakshagana and many other forms are often performed on temple premises.Sometimes a temporary shrine is constructed,such as for Durga puja in West Bengal or Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra to specify space for rituals and cultural performances.This temporary shrine is ritually abandoned after the festival is over,and the image of Durga,which had been installed for the duration of the festival,is immersed in a river.The immersion ceremony in itself acquires the character of a cultural performance with religious procession singing and dancing the incorporation of many social and secular life.”^[4] Like West Bengal, in Assam also temporary shrines are constructed to specify space for rituals and cultural performances where folk drama such as Kamrupia Dhulia, Dhulia, and Puppetry etc.are performed in Durga puja,Lakshmi Puja etc.

6. Provision of curtain is there in folk drama.In folk drama forms like Bhaona, Kutiyattam, Kathakali etc.two persons hold a screen to herald the entry of major characters into the performance arena.

7. Simplicity is another feature of folk drama.“If the content of the folk theatre has been very largely indigenous, its form has been extremely simple. Even an important stage is disappeared with in favour of a simple acting area in the middle of an audience.The spectators come and go at will and even participate quite heartily when invited by the“sutradhar.A simple and direct participation by a large mass of audience can not afford,much stylization nor can it get cultured up with stage properties.The result it that the distance between actor and spectator disappears and the performance gains a lot of flexibility to suit local or regional condtions.”^[5]

8. Use of traditional lighting system is another feature of folk drama. Even now in many performances the use of an earthen lamp is mandatory during the performance.In Assam,Jor, Ariya, Mahata are the traditional lighting system used in folk drama. However, at present days attractive electronic bulbs are used to draw attention of audience.

9. The necessary items for performance, like costumes of actor, weapons used in drama are kept in a temporary hut made on the western part of the stage, where performers can change or wear their dress. This hut is called “So-ghor”.

10. Make up plays an important role in folk drama.In Bharata’s Natyasashtra, Make-up is termed as “Ango Rachana”. In every performance Ango Rachana plays an important role.In folk drama, performers use only locally and easily available materials for their makeover.The make-up materials include rice powder, chalk powder, ash of dry gourd, limestone, vermillion, red ink etc. They use water hyacinth as duplicate hair for the actors.

11. In folk drama, character of woman is performed by man. Here, tradition of co acting is absent. Male actors wear traditional dress of woman and apply makeup like woman.

12. Using of folk musical instrument is another very important characteristic of folk drama. Dhol, khol, cymbal, flute, kali, tokari, Saringda, Dotara, Nagara, Bena, Kalia etc. are folk musical instruments use in folk dramas of Assam.

The folk musical instruments can be classified under four different heads-

a. Membranophone instruments:—Membranophone instruments are made with wooden or metallic shells covered with animal hide or membrane.Doba, Mridanga, Dhol, Joydhol, Khol, Nagara are this kind of instruments.

b. Chordophone instruments:—Folk musical instruments played by striking the strings or rubbing with a bow are called chordophone. Saringda, Dotara,Bena are example of chordophone.

c. Audiphone:—Audiphone instruments are made of metal,wood or bamboo and played by striking with a stick and any hard or similar material.Cymbal of different types are example of audiphones instruments.

d. Aerophone:— Aerophone instruments are played by blowing with mouth or manipulating the flow of air. Flute, Conch and Kalia are examples of aerophone instruments.

11(b). Clown (bohuwa) or vidushaka is one of the important characters of folk drama. The main function of vidushaka is to make audience lough with his witty remaks.He can speak even irrelavent things, can wear contemporary dresss. “The vidushaka (clown) is a noble,good–hearted,blundering fool,the trusted friend of the hero.A bald-headed glutton,comic in speech and manners,he is the darling of the spectators.”^[6]

12. Sutradhar is another most important character of folk drama.He is the narrator and director of folk play.The major portion of success of the folk play depends on the Sutradhar.

13. Using of mask is another characteristics of folk drama.Mask of god and goddess, king and queen, mask of different animals are used in folk drama performance.

Mask of folk drama is often made of wood and sometimes of clay.While making the mask, the carpenter follows the instruction of Bharata’s Natyasashtra. According to Natyasashtra, the colours of mask vary with the nature of the character.

14. In most of the cases absence of written script is another important characteristics of folk drama, In that situation performer immediately connects with the existing situation by composing songs, dialogues extempore.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mathur J.C: Drama in the Rural India, Asia Publishing House,New Delhi,1964, p:105

[2]:

Gabbert Lisa: Humanities, journal, M D P I, published 3^rd January, 2018.

[3]:

Awasthi Suresh: Performance Tradition in India, National Book Trust of India p:94

[4]:

Ibid.p.95

[5]:

Banerjee Utpal Kr: Indian Performing Arts, Harman Publishing House, Delhi, 1992, p:62

[6]:

britannica.com