A Tribal Dance and the Mask Village
19/10/2017
Tanusree Chatterjee*
There are
many tribal dances originated in India which are based on their nature,
environment and closely connected to their soil. Some of them are ‘Bihu’ in Assam, ‘Bhangra’ in punjab, ‘Rashlila’
in Uttar Pradesh, ‘Ghomar’ in
Rajastan, ‘Dandia’ in Gujarat. In our
state the famous tribal dance is ‘Chhau’.
This indigenous dance performance is in practice since primeval times of the developing
civilisations. Across different parts of India the tribes or adivasis are
surviving and they still practice these dance form. These clans boost their
culture and heritage amidst the busy cosmopolitan population.
In 2007,
during puja vacation, me and my family visited Purulia, especially the Ayodhya hills.
There for the first time we saw the famous tribal dance ‘Chhau’. We experienced
the famous dance drama ‘Mahisasur Mardini’ and mesmerized. There for the
first time I came to know how these tribes were enriched with their culture. The
adivasis has their own culture since the onset of the civilisation and they preserved
it with their strong belief, admire and love. I observed extensive use of
masks, in the dance, shaped in the form of the character being played, e.g., a lion character has a face mask of
lion and body costume too. All the characters of the drama are mythological and
the dance was performed in play ground on the mud floor. The audience encircled
and the dance was performed by local tribal ‘Chhau’
dancers. They were practicing for their next show. Tribal song accompanied by fascinating
beats of dhol, dhumka, nagara, dhamsa, sehnai and other tribal instruments in
rhythm which are integral part of this dance. Unlike other classical musical
dance form vocal music are used sometimes to express the facts of mythological
episodes. The vocal sounds were in high pitch and had a nostalgic rhythm. After experiencing these extremely heart
touching dance drama next morning I met the head of the troupe Mr. Mahadeb Murmu
and enquired about my queries regarding these tribal dance. During discussion
with Mr. Murmu I came to know many facts of the tribal dance ‘Chhau’.
‘Chhau’ is the word derived from the Sanskrit
word ‘chhaya’ which means ‘shadow’,
‘disguise’ and ‘image’-according to the scholars. The ‘Chhau’ dance is a complex combination
for folk and classical motifs. The influence of vedic litarature (‘Ramayana’, ‘Mahabharata’), Hinduism
and material folk-lore has all combined to shape the dance of Purulia, the ‘Chhau’. The most interesting fact about
‘Chhau’ dance of Purulia is it has
been listed in UNESCO’s World heritage list of dances.
The ‘Chhau’ dance is also called masked
dance. The expression is through body language where moods and sentiments are
thrown by limb movements and graceful head and neck movement. It has evolved
from a material art form and different mask represent different mythological
characters. The masks are very colourful – like yellow, green, red and blue and
are well decorated by shola, golden zari, silver zari and colourful beads. Why the
‘Chhau’ dancers are using these unique types of mask? ‘Chhau’ masks were introduced so that one could not forget dancers’
identity and they comfortably got into their role which they portrayed.
The messages
of ‘Chhau’ dance are always the
triumph of good over evil.
The mask village
The next day
we visited the mask village ‘Charida’,
which is situated in west Purulia, Baghmundi taluka, with full of curiosity. It
is a small tribal village whose economy is based on making of mask for ‘Chhau’ dance. On entering the village
we noticed many mask shops situated on either side of main road- colourful,
gorgeous, glittering, fascinated masks were kept for selling as showpiece or
for ‘Chhau’ dance.
 |
| Chhau Mask |
I wondered
how they could make it with paper and clay though these were tough and hardy. I
met one of the artists who not only described me the entire process also showed
me the step by step process with proper example. The ‘Chhau’ masks were made by the artists of Sutradar community but
now many other tribal communities are also involved for their economic
condition. The making of mask goes through various stages and it takes 7 to 8
days to complete a mask.
a.
At first, a clay model of the mythological character
is made which is the mould of a mask.
b.
Then soft paper like newspaper is diluted in the
glue.
c.
The diluted glue papers are pasted properly on the
mud mould and are dried for 2 to 3 days.
d.
After being dried, a layer of mud and after that a
layer of soft cotton cloth are properly applied on the paper mask and then sun
dried for 2 to 3 days.
e.
After that the mould is polished and kept for 1 to 2
days for drying.
f.
Then the mask is separated from the mould very
carefully.
g.
Holes for eyes and nose are created.
h.
After that it is coloured 2 to 3 times and polished
with tarpin oil to make a glossy look.
i.
Finally it is decorated with shola, golden, silver
and colourful beads to make it eye catching.
Truly, I
became stunned to notice the toughness of the job of making such masks. Indeed,
the artists are very hard working and patient. They love and enjoy their work –
otherwise it would be impossible.
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| Display of various Chhau Mask |
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