Socio-Cultural context of the performance of Gujarati BHAVAI

 

Bhavai

• Bhavai is popular folk theatre from Gujarat with over 700 year of history.

• The word derives its meaning from combination of two words- bhav meaning emotion and vahini means carrier. Thus, it means the art form that carries emotions.

• Its original aim was to create awareness and entertainment. Hence, it evolved as a open air theatre, with simple but exxagerated storylines and vernacular humour.

• One night of performance includes many skits, which are called vesha. Music, dance, and vernacular humour are highlights of any Bhavai vesha.

• Bhavaiya/Vyas/Nayak community is the main proponent of this theatre. While actors from different background perform the Bhavai today, it was the male members of the Bhavaiya community who were the sole performers most of the history.

• Story of the Bhavai's origin and creation of Bhavai community dates back to the 14 th century and is credited to the Asait Thakar.

• Historically, the Bhavaiyya community made its living by relying on the alms provided by village patrons in exchange for performing Bhavai.

• Bhavai was not seen merely as a means of entertainment, but also as a platform for the community to gather and socialise, and a medium to invoke and inspire spiritual consciousness.

• The annual arrival of the Bhavai troupe in the village was much anticipated and the members were accorded generous hospitality. This peripatetic community relied entirely on the rations, clothing, and other alms given to them by the host village

Traditional vesha are categorised into four types according to their central theme:

1. Historical events and characters: Skits based on local history and figures as their main theme. Prominent plays include Zanda Zulan, Juthan, and Jasma Odan.

2. Religious themes and characters: Ganpati, Kan Gopi, Raval, Ardhnarishwar

3. Social issues: These vesha have satire and social commentary as their primary elements. Purabio, Saraniyo, Vanzara are some noteworthy mentions.

4. Skill veshas: These involve physical dexterity and sleight of hand, and depend upon skills of individual performers

• Despite its ritual significance and a number of mythological plays in its repertory Bhavai as a folk dramatic form is specially known for its social plays full of humour. Subtle criticism laced with pungent humour is the specialty of Bhavai. The pompous and incongruous behavior of high caste people is scoffed at in Bhavai plays.

• Bhavai troupes visit patron villages annually. The visits are made after prior consultation with the village head ensuring a good social atmosphere for performances (no recent deaths, no marriages or major social occasion).

Traditions

• Upon arrival, the troupe stays at the village outskirts, awaiting their welcome. The local patron receives the troupe and brings the members inside the village. Troupe members set up camp in the village temple. The village collectively arranges for food and the other personal needs of the visiting troupe.

• The proceedings begin after lunch. The troupe visits homes which have recently had a wedding or birth of a baby boy. They offer blessings and sing auspicious songs. In return, the family offers some presents to the troupe; usually saris, grains, and money. This is followed by an interactive storytelling session in a public space, usually the village square chanchar. The troupe members share stories from their travels to other villages. Locals share news about the village and recent activities. The troupe tries to weave this information into their skits to make them more localised and relatable.

Performance

• Firstly, the troupe leader, known as nayak, draws a trident symbolising goddess Amba with red kumkum (vermilion) powder on an east-facing wall.

• He then lights an earthen lamp and troupe members chant prayers to invoke the goddess’s blessings.

• Afterwards, they start by putting on make-up. Multani mitti (mud pack) is used for whitening the skin, and soot from the earthen lamp is used as kohl.

• The opening act of the performance is the Ganpati no vesh (ગણપતિનો વેશ), which is in accordance with the traditional Hindu practice of invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesh at the start of any task.

• Through the rest of the evening, multiple vesha are performed. The choice of vesha is done considering the audience’s and sponsor’s preferences, availability of actors, and specific time of the year or occasion. The characters of Rangalo and Rangli are crowd-puller items

• Bhavai makes use of numerous musical instruments—bhungal, tabla, kansijoda, jhaanjh, sarangi and harmonium.

• Of these, Bhungal is unique to Bhavai. It is a thin, horn-like instrument made of copper. Once assembled, the longer ‘male’ bhungal measures around six feet in length while the shorter ‘female’ variant measures around four feet. Apart from length, the male and female bhungal vary in their pitch. These are played to announce the arrival of important characters and for major scene changes.

Present Scenario

At present, fewer young artists are joining Bhavai as an occupation. Although the community takes immense pride in its heritage, fewer parents are encouraging their sons to take up Bhavai as a family profession.

Common reasons are insufficient patronage and audience interest, difficulty in maintaining a nomadic lifestyle, insufficient earnings to keep up with inflation, and lack of prestige in contemporary society. As a result, many experts are calling the current state of Bhavai as being ‘on its last leg’ and are predicting the ‘death of an ancestral art’.

At the same time, Bhavai is undergoing a revival of sorts in urban professional theatre. Institutions such as Darpana Academy of Performing Arts and Theatre and Media Centre in Ahmedabad have done significant work in introducing Bhavai to urban audiences and in training new generations of actors in Bhavai.

In the early 1980s, the Gujarat government established a Bhavai training centre in Visnagar (Mehsana district) to enhance and streamline training in the popular art form.

Cashing on its popularity and familiarity with rural crowds, several non-governmental organisations are known to organise Bhavai performances in villages to create and raise awareness on issues of social importance.

Skits are especially scripted to make use of humour, dance, and drama to discuss topics which are considered ‘preachy’ or ‘boring’ by audiences. Commonly discussed topics are malnutrition, open defecation, vaccinating children, substance abuse, dowry, female foeticide and infanticide, illiteracy, gambling, etc.