Jatra, yakshagana, powada, bhabai folk theatre a medium of communications

1. JATRA, YAKSHAGANA, POWADA, BHABAI:
folk theatre as a medium of communication
Presented By:-
Ayshika Karmakar

2. Introduction
• Folk Theatre is a composite art form in India with a
fusion of elements from music, dance, pantomime,
versification, epic and ballad recitation, graphic and
plastic arts, religion and festival peasantry.
• The Folk theatre having roots in native culture is
embedded in local identity and social values. Besides
providing mass entertainment, it helps Indian society as
indigenous tools of interpersonal, inter-group and inter-
village communication for ages.
• Folk theatre has been used extensively in India to
propagate critical social, political and cultural issues in
the form of theatrical messages to create awareness
among the people. As an indigenous form it breaks all
kinds of formal barriers of human communication and
appeals directly to the people.

3. Pictures of some Folk Theatre
Jatra of Bengal and Orissa

4. JATRA
• Jatra is a kind of Folk Theatre of Bengal
and Odisha.
• Dancing and Singing is a dramatic
element of Jatra, so traditional jatra
theatre is a combination of music and
dance.
• Jatra is mainly based on mythological
aspects.
• Many types of folk songs are used in Jatra
like, Jhumur,Gagangaan,Baul
gaan,Bhatiali etc.

5. JATRA

6. Video clip of Jatra

7. JATRA
Famous Jatra
artist
Chapal Rani
For years, Chapal Bhaduri was the
reigning star of the Bengali ‘jatra’
theatre—a man who transformed
himself into a beautiful woman before
each performance. This is his story.

8. Pictures of some Folk Theatre
Yakshagana of Karnataka

9. YAKSHAGANA
• Yakshagana, dance-drama of
South India, associated most strongly
with the state of Karnataka. It means
“The song of the Demons”.
• Mainly based on Epics(mainly on
Rmayana and Mahabharata and
Bhagabata Puranas).
• Heavy costumes and makeup is another
characteristics of this kind of theatre.
• Main thing of yakshagana is to end the
negative energy and establish the
positive energy.

10. Yakshagana

11. Video clip of Yakshagana

12. South Indian Musical Instrument:
Mridangam

13. POWADA

14. POWADA
• The Powada is a genre of Marathi
Poetry, that emerged during the late 17th
century in India.
• The powadas are a kind of ballad written
in an exciting style and narrate historical
events in an inspiring way.
• Singing is the another characteristics
of Powada. By singing in chorus, a
group of men share a story.
• Mainly Powada is based on any
legendary heroes (like, Chhatrapati
Shivaji) but now contemporary issues
are also considered.

15. Video clip of Powada

16. Bhabai of Gujarat
Pictures of some Folk Theatre

17. BHABAI

18. BHABAI
• Bhabai is a popular folk theatre form in Gujarat with a
700-year old history.
• The word Bhabai derives its meaning from a
combination of two words—bhav meaning emotion,
and vahini meaning carrier—thus it is named as an art
form which is a carrier of emotions.
• Bhaba means universe and Aai means mother together
it is tribute to mother Amba.
• One night of performance includes several skits being
performed and these small skits are called vesha.
• Many classical types of songs (like, bhajan,doha,ghazal
etc.) and garba dance is used in Bhabai.
• Bhabai has seen a decline in popularity in the 21st
century due to multiple factors, the most important being
the advent of modern means of entertainment even in
rural interiors.

19. BHABAI

20. Video clip of Bhabai

21. folk theatre a medium of communication
Definition of Folk:-
Folk means originating the traditional
customs with the common people of a
country or region and typically
reflecting their lifestyle, customs, arts
and crafts from generation to
generation.

22. folk theatre a medium of communication
Characteristics of Folk Theatre:-
Folk theatre in India is by no means always
“vulgar “or “low” in its style. Sometimes
intricate classical music is employed. Folk
theatres adapt stories from the Puranas, the
epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, old
Sanskrit dramas, and legends. Folk theatre,
however, is more flexible in character, and
so are modern love stories, and even the
plots of popular movies have found their
way into its repertoire.

23. folk theatre a medium of communication
• While performing, the actor establishes direct
rapport with the audience. Folk theatre has
been used as a channel of communication
especially for development purposes.
• Despites of its origin in different regional
cultures and languages, it has many common
features and continues to retain its distinctive
features because of its inbuilt capacity to adjust
in the society.

24. folk theatre a medium of communication
• Folk theatre like, Tamasha of Maharastra, a
religious folk theatre Dashavatar of South
Konkan, Nautanki of North India, Yakshagana
of Karnataka, Jatra of Bengal and Orissa,
Bhavai of Gujarat, Therukoothu of Tamil Nadu,
etc. are very popular form of entertainment and
are used for disseminating public messages
and development themes among the rural
masses.

25. folk theatre a medium of communication
• It was used to mobilize public opinion on social
and political affairs. Satirical comments are also
made on current affairs.
• In present days, government used folk theatre
to educate people on different issues like family
planning, AIDS awareness, literacy, health, etc.
It also exposed and ridiculed the social and
political evils existing in the society.

26. Pictures of some Folk Theatre
folk art form of
Maharashtra: Tamasha

27. Pictures of some Folk Theatre
Nautanki of North India

28. Pictures of some Folk Theatre
Dashavatar- A Folk theater form of
Konkan

29. Therukoothu of Tamil Nadu
Pictures of some Folk Theatre

30. Conclusion
Folk Theatre forms in India are
traditional way of Communication and
enriched cultural heritage. It constitutes
a potential source for conveying
messages for Social, Economic and
Cultural Development which ultimately
helps in overall National Development.
Henceforth, it is our soul duty on the
part of the Communication Researchers,
Policy Makers, Government and the
participants the People to shoulder the
responsibility of preserving and
propagating the forms of Folk Theatre.