Assam is situated in “one of the greatest routes of migration of mankind”. Over time people of different strains, particularly Indo-Chinese, Mongoloids poured into the region and added new cultural elements to the region’s population and culture complex, creating a multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic, and multi-religious society. This intermingling of cultures though having diversity among them gave rise to a large number of folk songs and dances in the region. Although Bihu is understood to be the folk dance of Assam, in reality, there are a huge number of other dance forms, songs, and performance arts presented and celebrated by different communities of the state. In his book, ‘Folk-culture of Assam’, Birinchi Kumar Barua, discusses different elements that constitute Assamese folklore. Numerous religious faiths and beliefs can be found in Assam; Hinduism being the dominant religion, followed by Islam. However, a lot of folk dances and songs are not directly related to any religious rituals, rather most of them have a spiritual connotation praising mother earth or nature. Barua also notes that a lot of folk beliefs in Assam have been considerably influenced by that of the Tibetans and Chinese. Practices like worshipping Tulsi and Xiju plants indicate similarity with the practices of worshipping trees in the Indus Valley Civilization. Rice plays an important role in the state. Worshipping rain and granaries indicate the importance of agriculture while practices and rituals like worshipping natural phenomena like the sun, moon, earthquake, flood, and drought, and having fire as an important element of any ritual show that the people of the region have also been influenced by the Vedic civilization. In this read, I present to you a few of the dance or art forms from Assam that have seemingly lost their significance. These have been an integral part of Assamese folk culture, albeit dwindling in presence.
Ojapali
Oja Pali is one of the most distinctive art forms of Assam that incorporates song, dance, gestures, lyrical dialogues, and improvised dramatization to portray narratives from the epics and Puranas. The group consists of one Oja who is the leader of the group starting the performance and maintains a rhythm throughout the performance. He is assisted by the 4-5 Palis, however, the Daina-Pali, which literally means the right-hand assistant, makes the theme more interesting by humorous improvs. The group uses a particular type of small cymbals called Khutitaal, which is the sole instrument of the performance, used to maintain the rhythm. They wear white long-sleeved (though sometimes half sleeves can be seen as well) white gowns with white dhoti. Accessories may also include silver Ghuri (bangles), Nupur (anklet), and Tangali (a long cloth tied around the waist). It is believed that Ojapali had originated in the Kamata state but was later limited to the Darrang (Mangaldoi, Sipajhar, etc) district of Assam. Yet, Ojapali performances are often seen in the lower Assam districts of Nalbari and Kamrup (mostly towards the western towns of Chaygaon and Mirza), Bajali, Baksa. Nowadays Ojapali performances are a rare sight but still some major Durga Puja mandaps in Guwahati invite Ojapali groups for performances. Ojapali performances also can be seen during Manasha puja.
Dhuliya/Dhuila
A dhuliya in Assamese simply means an artist who plays a dhol made of wood and leather. But in the context of Assamese performance arts, Dhuliya refers to Dhuliya Bhaona or in the lower Assam accent Dhuila Bhaona; it sometimes can be accorded as an ancient art form of the Kamrupa region. This art form has assumed a significant identity of its own over a long period of time because of a good amalgamation of humour with acrobatics and play-acts, dance, and instrumental music. A Dhuliya troupe or dhuila party, as it is fondly called, may have around twenty members, led by the Bayan or Oja. They beat dhols and perform everything related their selves. Along with dhols, members also play a type of cymbals called Kartaal and a type of wind instrument indigenous to Assam called Kali. They wear simple and crude dresses made of old and/or worn-out canvas decorated with a colourful patchwork of clothes. The performers wear masks depicting gods, goddesses, animals, and birds and usually perform in fairs and festivals. Unlike Ojapali, Dhuliya artists focus on more contemporary issues and social life and sometimes transform something as simple as walking to the fair from home into short play-acts called Chong. Lately, Dhuliya performances have faded drastically, if not totally extinct.
Putula Naas (Puppet Show)
The Assamese form of puppetry or Putula Naas is another folk art from Assam that is fading away with time. Although puppetry is not indigenous to Assam and can be seen in a number of other Indian states like West Bengal, Rajasthan, etc, the form in Assam is unique in aspects like the theme of the act or just the visuals of it. The number of members in a troupe is five to six and the staging of the play is started by the Sutradhar. The act is mostly musical, supported by different indigenous instruments. Plays are primarily based on stories from the epics though in some instances social messages too, are conveyed in a dramatized style. Mahapurux Srimanta Shankardev employed the art of puppet show to propagate the new Vaishnavism in the fifteenth century. In his time the puppeteer was called tatakiya bajikar. In the homes of the rich, puppetry was used in rituals too, but gradually this art form began to be neglected. For want of patronage, the traditional puppeteers started to abandon the art. Now there are about only 35 families performing the art traditionally.
Deodhani / Deodhai Nritya
Like Ojapali another shamanistic dance performance associated with Manasa Puja is the Deodhani (female) or the Deodhai (male) Nritya. However, unlike the previous art forms, this is more religious and ritualistic without any incorporation of improvs or contemporary societal events of concern. No play or act is performed in this form of folk dance. Deodhani Nritya is of Bodo-Kachari origin, the indigenous and one of the oldest communities of the region. It refers to a dance by men or women possessed by various deities who engage in an ecstatic, spectacular performance with swords and shields which occasionally also involves animal sacrifice and consumption of raw meat and blood. Female performers usually wear a Mekhela made of Muga silk, a red blouse, and traditional pieces of jewellery while male performers mostly wear a loincloth. They dance to the beat of a Bordhol or Joidhol and Khutitaal. After the influx of Hindu Brahmanic rituals in the region, the Deodha dance form intermingled and it became a sheer mixture of practices drawn from tribal traditions and Hindu institutions of major temples like the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. Nowadays, although very rare, Deodhani performances can be seen across the state in some urban centres or festivals focusing on showcasing old or diminishing traditions of the state. Performances display a clear divergence from the original art or ritualistic form and are well-choreographed, though they do ostensibly display possession by deities accompanied by waving of unbound hair with sword and shield-wielding.
References
- Upadhyaya, Hari S., and Birinchi K. Barua. “Folk-Culture of Assam (In Assamese).” Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 23, no. 2, 1964, p. 215. Crossref, doi:10.2307/1177754.
- Baruah, Swarnalata. A Comprehensive History of Assam. New Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal, 2012.
- Sarma, Sailendra Prasad. “VOICE OF RESISTANCE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON ‘DHULIA’ AS ONE OF THE FOLK ART FORMS OF ASSAM.” PARIPEX – INDIAN JOURNAL OF RESEARCH, vol. 7, no. 7, 2018, pp. 24–26.
- Bhattacharjee, Moushumi. Puppetry in Assam Continuity and Change, 2015, Gauhati University, PhD Thesis, Shodhganga: A Reservoir of Indian Theses @ INFLIBNET, hdl.handle.net/10603/145309.
- Rajkhowa, C. “Putul Nach of Assam.” Sangeet Natak, vol. 38, no. 1, 2004, pp. 35–40.
- Urban, Hugh B. “Dancing for the Snake: Possession, Gender, and Identity in the Worship of Manasā in Assam.” The Journal of Hindu Studies, vol. 11, no. 3, 2018, pp. 304–27. Crossref, doi:10.1093/jhs/hiy011.
- Hazowary, Rupashree. Folk Performing Arts of the Bodos a Study in Kokrajhar District Assam, 2016, Gauhati University, PhD Thesis, Shodhganga, hdl.handle.net/10603/145313.
