Nautanki: Nautanki is a form of street play or skit that is popular in northern side of India especially in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.It is said that before the entry of cinema in life of common man in India, it was the only mean prevalent for entertainment. A Nautanki is consisted of folklore and mythological dramas blended with folk songs and dances. But, now it has taken other forms too. Though it is said that that the Nautanki originated in Punjab but there is no trace of the Punjabi language in this folk theatre form. But it is more popular in Utter Pradesh.It is really difficult to trace the history of a dynamic art form like Nautanki, which has developed according to the changing needs of the large masses of people who live in the villages of India. The two main places, where Nautanki took root and grew are Hathras and Kanpur. Latter on, two schools of this musical drama came to be established at these places. While the content of the dramas and the meter of the stanzas is more or less similar with the musical quality and quantity of the Hathras school is far superior to that of the Kanpur school, where the emphasis is on dramatic dialogues and gestures. Nautanki performance begins around midnight and carries on till daybreak of next day. Nautanki is performed on stage that can be courtyards or maidens. The music used for this performance can not be categoried as classical or even folk but contains elements of both. In fact, it has a pattern of its own, which is consistent for dramas. The poetry is written in various metrical patterns and sung as per the convention & requirements of current performance. The prominent musical instrument used is the nagada. It is a single-faced kettledrum, which in fact announces a Nautanki performance in a village area. Sometimes the sarangi and harmonium are also used for generating music. The dholak or drum provides the rhythm for addition. The verse used is simple & direct appealed towards emotions of human beings. The basic verse used can be divided into three portions such as: (1) Doha which is sung free, without a beat or musical accomplishment; (2) Choubola which forms the main stanza, and last of all is (3) Daur or Chalti or Udhan, which is sung at a great speed & also becomes very slow at the end. The nagada is played after each portion is over. In various ways, these verses are sung, the school of Nautanki and the efficiency of the singer decide that. To avoid monotonous treatment many new ideas are also used like the introduction of a short verse called kada between the three stanzas. The overall popularity of the Nautanki artists is decided from the power of his voice, the meanings he can draw out from the written verse, and the expressions he can deliver at that moment. The writer of Nautanki is not bound by any limitations even of time and space. His imagination is wide & can cross the barriers of recognizable reality, and successful in creating insights into relations in possible realities within the boundaries of a unified theatrical truth. The language in which the Nautanki is written is Hindustani, no any regional language with blending of the dialect of the area in which it is performed. As the Braj Nautankis is mostly in verse form whereas, the Kanpur Nautankis have Urdu poetry and plenty of straightforward prose dialogue. The Nautanki also contains certain elements of the Sanskrit theatre, both in selecting stories and in the sequence wise unraveling of the plot. The effect of the Parsi theatre is also visible in the style of enactment, particularly in case of the Kanpur school of Nautanki. The presentation of story and incidents is done in a familiar suggestive idiom, to establish a contact with the audience. Music plays a very important role to discover and expose various layers of meaning and provide a new dimension to theatrical reality in essence. An important element of Nautanki is satire & also used for the same purpose. Many time the Nautanki artistes are from families that are in this profession for generations. Most of them are illiterate, though a number of professional singers have also joined Nautanki mandlis. A characteristic of Nautanki is that it is always been an open and secular dramatic form till date. All elements of Nautanki dance, music, are used with an unlimited scope for improvisation etc. is today explored with their relevance in contemporary themes. Today, the nagada beats in a different cultural ethos but it still pulsates with vibration. Many say that Nautanki may be loosing its mass appeal in the absence of any recognition from the establishment theatre form of India. The invasion of television and also the evolution modern theatre have created a danger to this form of art. But some artistes working hard to keep Nautanki alive. It was once, the strongest mass medium in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But the common man certainly and widely accepts this art. Some argue on comment that it is not a folk art by saying it is a form of Classical one. As Classical is any art with its own set of rules and certain discipline. In Nautanki, too, strict discipline is required during the time of performance & it also carries rules that are to be followed.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 18:19:18 +0000
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