Music and Dance
Most of the folk dances of Rajasthan are very graceful and require great skill and
dexterity. However when performed well these dances are a sight to behold and thus
have gained immense popularity the world over.
Bhawai
Bhawai or Bhavai is the traditional folk dance of Rajasthan and is one of the nail
biting, suspenseful dances of the state. Performed with great skill it is the art
of dancing and gyrating even while maintaining a fine balancing act and poising
many articles and items on one's head. Jats, Bhils, Raigars, Meenas, Charmars and
Kumhars are the tribes and clans that promote the growth of this folk art. The Kalbelia
tribe of the snake charmers is especially adept in this skill of balancing and he
womenfolk of this clan perform a sprightly saltation while holding as many as seven
to eleven earthern urns on their head.
The womenfolk of these tribes are used to such balancing precision due to their
endeavor in the parched desert areas. A number of such urns and pots are easily
carried across a distance in this fashion by the Rajasthani women who transport
water from the wells/oases to their homes. Believed to have originated in the neighboring
state of Gujarat, Bhawai was soon picked up and adapted by the local tribal men
and women who imparted the dance a distinctive Rajasthani essence.
To give the dance a climactic turn, the performer not only balances the pots on
her head but also climbs atop a plate (thali) placed on brass tumblers. The thrill
comes from the fact that even a slight asymmetry can easily upset the show. The
more venturesome dancers take to performing the jig on broken glass or a sword.
Sometimes a dancer also balances a ‘puja thali’ (a plate holding the common items
of worship) on her head. The accompaniment to the dance, Bhawai is provided by the
men singing melodious songs and by instruments like dholak, manjeera, pahkwaja,
sarangi and the bhungal.
Chari
Most of the folk dances of Rajasthan are very graceful and require great skill and
dexterity. However when performed well these dances are a sight to behold and thus
have gained immense popularity the world over. Chari or the popular pot dance is
one such folk art that is received globally with awe and admiration and represents
the grace of Rajasthan’s culture well.
The Rajasthani woman performs the Chari, a sprightly dance even while carrying an
earthen urn or brass pot on her head. What is most amazing is that a lighted ‘diya’
or oil lamp is placed in this urn and its glow is visible throughout the period
of the dance. The perfect balance and adroitness of these dancers commands reverence
and applause when ever the Chari is performed.
This dance is performed on special occasions and on festive days. Graceful movements
of the limbs, deft swirls on the knees and the rhythmic pulsating music entrance
and enthrall the hearts of the viewers. Chari performers are trained right from
childhood and only when the art of balancing the pot is mastered do the performers
graduate to dancing with the lamp in the pot.
The womenfolk of the Kisherigarh region of the state of Rajasthan specialize in
this dance form and the region has produced the best known Chari performers. Sometimes
the oil-rich cottonseed is burnt instead of the diya and is placed in the pot. Years
o rigorous practice is needed to acquire this skill and thus the women avoid any
risk of getting burnt.
The grace, the music and the sparkling colors of their costumes illuminated by the
diya’s soft glow, Chari is indeed a dance of the spirited women devoted o upholding
their traditions even in modern days.
Kalbelia Dance
Kalbeliya is a nomadic community who sometimes introduces themselves as Naath, Jogi,
Sapere and Sadhu. Their family business is to catch snakes. This comes in handy
as they showcase a number of tricks using these snakes while giving spectacular
shows in nearby villages and towns and at their Jajmaan’s (client) place and thus
earn livelihood for themselves. As the time changed they have made permanent lodgings
outside the cities.
Kalbeliya community consider themselves as the disciples of Guru Kannipav. According
to them Guru Jalandhar Nath ji had two disciples namely Gorakh nath and Kannipav.
Gorakh nath ji loved simplicity whereas Kannipav ji was very jovial kinds. Both
of them were very proud of their art. To test their expertise at their art Guru
Jalandhar nath ji asked both of them to bring something to drink for their Guru.
So Gorakhnath ji with the help of his talent produced a cup full of elixir and offered
it to his Guru while Kannipav ji caught a few snakes and scorpions and extracted
the poison out of them and filled the cup with that poison and offered it to his
Guru.
This offended the Kannipav so much that he asked Kannipav to drink that cup full
of poison and cursed upon him that he should always remain outside the village boundaries.
Since then the followers of Kannipav lived outside the village boundaries and were
known as Kalbeliya.
They very happily follow all the rules that have been given to them by their Guru
Kannipav
1. They always ask people for their food.
2. To always be happy and merry.
3. They always refer to the women younger to them as sister and the women elder
to them as mother.
4. They follow simple and straight paths in life.
5. They never ever abuse their master.
6. They never kick their enemies.
7. They stay far away from theft.
8. They always bury their dead and deceased ones.
Pungi is a special instrument of Kalbeliya community. They catch snakes with the
help of pungi. They enchant the snake by playing this instrument and then catch
it. They believe that the snake can never bite them and they also make ‘Surma’ using
the snake’s poison . Due to the use of Surma they believe that they will never lose
their eye sight. The women of this community are expert in singing and dancing.
In olden times the women use to sing and dance only on special occasions such as
weddings, festivals etc. in their very own distinct style. As times changed these
women started performing stage shows around the whole world and with it changed
their dancing style as well as their attires. Their swaying dresses, made up of
colourful beads give a distinct identity to the women of Kalbeliya community. What
makes this attractive dress more interesting is that it is made by the Kalbeliya
women themselves. A very interesting fact about them is that they never teach the
folk arts to their children. They gain expertise in singing and dancing by watching
the elders doing it at home.
Terahtali Dance
The Kaamad community offer their prayers to Baba through dance and music. The men
sing bhajans and the women perform an emotive dance. This dance is called terah
taali dance. As the name suggests, this dance depicts thirteen different emotions.
For this dance thirteen Manjeera’s are tied on these women’s hand and feet and that
is why it is called terah taali dance. The men play Dholak and Tambura and along
with this they recite couplets (dohas).
When the women dance the manjeeras produce sounds which gives the impression as
if the dance itself is producing music instead of dance being performed on the music.
This terah taali dance is performed by the people of Kaamad community who live in
the Pali and Nagore district of Rajasthan. The patrons of Kaamad community belong
to Meghwal community. This community asks for alms from the people of Meghwal community
only.
In present times the number of people performing terah taali dance is very less.
As it is the population of this community is very less and moreover many men and
women of this community has stopped performing this dance. Consequently the coming
generation of the Kaamad community does not take interest in this art form. So this
dance form is just on the verge of becoming extinct.
Ghoomar Dance
It is the most famous of the Rajasthani Dances. Ghoomar is a traditional women's
folk dance of Rajasthan, India which was developed by the Bhil tribe and was adopted
by the Rajputs. It is performed by groups of women in swirling robes, and accompanied
by men and women singing together. In this many women dance on the music of Dhol,
thali and Manjira (Rajasthan Music Instruments)
Chakari Dance
This dance is performed by nomadic kanjar tribe of Rajasthan at the time of wedding.
With skirts whirling, the women give an impression of a spinning top, hence the
name Chakari Dance.