This weekend, enjoy a slice of Chhattisgarh in Mumbai

Two-day festival begins at NCPA on March 8

Every year, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) showcases art from different regions of India at its Living Traditions festival. This year, on March 8 and 9, Mumbai will get a little closer to Chhattisgarh. Six troupes will perform traditional song, dance and theatre forms at the two-day festival.

Rakesh Tiwari and his troupe will perform Dasmat, a play based on the popular folk tale Dasmat Kaeenaa, on Friday. (HT photo)

The festival opens with a Pandawani, featuring songs and stories of the exiled Pandavas from Mahabharata. This will be performed in vedmati, a folk singing style unique to Chhattisgarh.

“Chattisgarhi might not be a language that Mumbai audience understands, but I am sure the way I narrate it, they will be transported to Hastinapur, Kurukshetra and many other places from the epic [Mahabharata],” says Prabha Yadav.

She is one of the first female disciples of the late Pandawani maestro, Jhaduram Dewangan. Yadav describes performing the songs as an ‘enchanting’ experience. “It sometimes makes me cry and takes me to a place of ecstasy, revenge, romance and many more emotions,” she added.

To commemorate Women’s Day, which coincides with the first day of the festival, Rakesh Tiwari and his troupe will perform Dasmat, a play based on the popular folk tale Dasmat Kaeenaa.

“It’s the story of a brave princess, who was a dutiful wife,” says director Rakesh Tiwari. The original tale shows the woman, rebuffed by her father, helps her husband build a fortune but is still driven to commit suicide through self-immolation. “In my play, she attempts to kill the villain instead,” Tiwari said.

The play will be performed in naacha, a form of Chhattisgarhi folk theatre.

The first day of the festival will also feature the ritualistic Panthi dance by Dinesh Jangade and his troupe. The next day’s line-up includes presentation of original folk bhajans and Sufi songs by Madan Chauhan, which cover teachings of saint-philosophers such as Ghasidas, Kabir and Vallabhacharya.

“In tribal cultures such as Chhattisgarh’s, folk art has special relevance. On the one hand, they draw inspiration from epics like the Mahabharata and present their artistry through acrobatic dance and a plethora of instruments. On the other hand, they also address the modern-day socioeconomic and political situations,” says Suvarnalata Rao, head of Indian music at NCPA.

WHAT: Living Traditions Festival: Chhattisgarh

WHEN: March 8 and 9; 6.30 pm onwards

WHERE: National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point

Daily passes start at Rs 100; tickets are available online