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CHAPTER-IV
PRESENTATION OF FOLK FORMS IN MODERN STAGE
4.1 Dialogue with Folklore
Folk culture and the IPTA are akin to each other; it had opened an intrepid
inroad into a multidimensional performing art culture in India with all its
variety. But the foundation had always been based on folk-traditions. The
Indian society, in essence is a peasant society. Conceiving this fact as
supreme, the people who laid down the foundation for the IPTA realized
that the problems of this society have to be raised through the IPTA’s
platform. The IPTA activists not only propagated people’s culture but
contributed towards the peasants’ liberation from all kinds of exploitation.
In Assam, people with left orientation and some of the members of the
Congress Party with progressive outlook had taken forward the peasants’
movement parallel to the freedom struggle. The popular Cultural
Movement owed its origin and growth to people’s struggle for freedom and
peace and various other movements for the right of the peasants and
workers in India like the Telengana Peasants’ struggle of Andhra Pradesh.
Hemanga Biswas wrote, “The Telengana peasants’ struggle made them
rebellious where peasants’ occupied 3000 villages by dint of a prolonged
united struggle.” This movement tremendously inspired them and restoring
lands, struggling for land were the sources of their creativity of art and
music. The IPTA and its activists were the products of such struggles. He
further said that dhaan aru gaanor ek odvut mil aase (there is a peculiar
resemblance of paddy and music). When a farmer struggles for paddy
music comes out through his throat spontaneously (Bharali 1992: C). The
IPTA in Assam stood on the strong pillar of the peasant movement like
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aadhiyar andolan1. Such organized movements whereby peasants and
workers played a key role in expanding the Theatre Movement with the
patronage of colossal figures like Hemanga Biswas, Jyotiprasad Agarwala,
Bishnu Rabha and many others. They could feel that it was the historic
necessity to unite the people on the basis of culture. Approaching the
masses through the People’s Theatre was the chief aim of this movement.
The Indian national culture had always been in the foreground before the
IPTA ideals. Folklore adaptation was one of the prime strategies of their
cultural work policy. As discussed in the previous chapters, patronaging
and promoting folk culture was primary to the cultural movement of the
IPTA. Because, folklore is something which is analogous to folk-life,
which is a common binding factor; history has left numerous evidences
regarding this fact and therefore, many a time influential events and
characters have found place in folklore. Thus, folklore itself is becoming
history at times. “Influence of old religious scriptures hopes, aspiration and
experience of long struggle which altogether is called as ‘Mother’s Milk
Ideology’ got expressed through melody” (Rai 1992: 48). This melody
springs from folk experience of life. Hemanga Biswas referred to many
folk ballads of Uzbekistan and Yemen in the form of panegyrics where
Lenin has been depicted as a legendary hero. So, folklore is not just a
matter of ancient or pre-historical past or ‘survival of the past’ but
current themes which have created an impact on a larger scale may
also find place in folklore. Therefore, fairy tales or ballad or any form of
folklore may flourish even in the days of evolutionary realism. Hence,
adding new themes and legendary events have enriched the storehouse of
folklore. This facet had been appropriately caught in the following verse:
1 A movement of tenant peasants’ which cropped up in Assam during 1945 and first of its kind
in India, Telengana peasants’ revolt to be the next.The south Kamrup area had become the
chief center of this movement which rapidly proliferated to other parts. It started off as an
economic struggle that was mobilized into a huge political movement.
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Now, how can fables ever die?
To folklore they are the nearest kinsmen
And that’s exactly what I thought
The shortest road to reach the masses
In fables then I taught them
How to hate the hostile classes
(Demyan Bedney as cited by Biswas 1990: 91)
Likewise, the trend of politicization and popularization of folklore in
contemporary times has been experienced across the world. There are
ample examples throughout the world. It was done by “making folklore
forms a vehicle of protests movements and political ideology by
individuals and organizations as seen all over the world in the last decades:
by Blacks in North America, by communists in Latin America, Asia and
Africa” (Naithani 1998: 225).
The artists of the IPTA in Assam were influenced by such global trends.
They noted that many folk songs were created on the ‘6000 miles Long-
march’ of China without tampering the folk tune and folk dialect. This is
not a new phenomena; whenever any movement, be it social or religious,
has occurred in the past, it has been depicted in numerous folk songs. For
example, many songs were composed on the theme of widow re-marriage
system, advocated by the social reformer Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
(Biswas 1990: 92-94). But since our study is limited to the province of
Assam, so the concentration is restricted to this area only. This particular
chapter is intertwined on the basis of both primary source and fieldwork.
4.2 Mission of Popularising Folk songs
Hemanga Biswas initiated this mission in Assam. He emphasized on
recollecting folk songs and reviving folk-instruments. He had developed a
keen interest in folklore since his childhood. He had grown up seeing the
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Manipuri dance, listening to band parties in auspicious ceremonies, dhol,
Kobigaan, Gajan gaan, manasa Mangal (Songs of the Goddess Manasa)
and other folk songs which gave him an artistic sensibility (Bharali 1992).
He studied at the George Institute of Dibrugarh from 1925-27. Nilamoni
Phookan, the thinker and literateur of Assam was the headmaster of the
school. Thus, he got an opportunity to be familiar with the prime route of
Assamese culture. He had an opportunity to be acquainted with various
aspects of Assamese society and culture like food, dress, living habits,
songs and dance. His passion for folk songs turned into a mission when he
ushered in the Theatre Movement in Assam. He got familiarized with
Assamese folk songs like Bangeet (pastoral song) when he came in contact
with Congress leader Bimala Prasad Chaliha, who later became the Chief
Minister of Assam, during his stay at the Nagaon prison in 1932. He also
learnt a few patriotic songs composed by Jyotiprasad Agarwala. He at once
got attracted to Assamese folk tunes (Biswas 2012: 381). That was
probably the starting point of a new era of a unified cultural movement.
Common people always have special inclination for folklore materials,
because it springs from their mode of living. Folk songs were very much a
part of their entity. Hemanga Biswas therefore attempted to associate these
folk forms with the movement of the common masses.
In 1938, a huge peasant rally marched to Shillong, the then capital of
Assam, as a protest against taxation and the landlord system. While
marching ahead to Shillong the peasants’ sang the famous song composed
by Hemanga Biswas. The initial line of the song was:
Age age cholo mazur kisan
Samar sibire son hakise bisan
(March forward peasant-workers
Listen to the trumpet of war blowing in war camp)
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Most of the songs of that period were composed keeping in view some
purpose. Therefore, the compositions needed to be simple and easy so that
anybody could sing them with ease. That was one of the prime reasons for
using folk tunes in most of the songs. Biswas even used a Scottish tune
played in bagpipe, which he had heard in a military band in Shillong. The
British used to make the military of the Nepali community sing in that
tune. The same tune attracted Biswas so much that he composed the
following song:
Inqlubi hake oi, sun pete kan
Asuk durdin, saathi Rus-chin
Urdde uddin hero rakta-misan –
(Listen carefully the sound of Inqilub no matter
How grim the days become,
China-Russia is with us
Red flag soaring high)
The songs that were composed in Bengali language used many folk-tunes.
One such form is bhatiali, a tune that features mostly in East Bengal. The
following song was one of such kinds that gained wide popularity in the
rural areas:
Tor Sonar dhane borgi name dekhre chaliye
Tor luthe nei fosol
Desbideshi dhonik, bonik falsi dosyudol…
This song tried to arouse awareness among farmers regarding fascist
invasion on their soil. Through the song, Biswas pleaded them to be alert
as the enemy confiscated their paddy fields. Each song created by the
artists of IPTA had a setting. Another song in the bhatiali tune was
composed during 1951 when Biswas was in the Jayantia hills. It was
composed to commemorate the martyrdom of a peasant comrade in Silchar
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jail. Bhatiali songs have an inherent pathos, which he tried to keep intact in
the following song:
Amra to bhuli nai swahid, se kotha bhulbona-
Tomar koilijar khune rangailo je andhar jailkhana...
(We have not ceased to remember you o’ martyr
Never would we forget that your bleeding heart reddened the dark
Prison cell)
Various tormenting issues came in along with the partition of the country.
This found expression in the following song in bhatiali form composed in
‘baromahi’ (song of twelve months) style available in Bengal and Assam:
Amar man kande re padmar chorer laiga dordi re
Amare santir griho, sukher swapna kei dilo bhangia
Dorodire, ashin mare koto khusite
Bhai bone aito naior nite
Bhora gange rongila nas baiya…
The pain of being alienated from one’s own land and river has been poured
out in the above song and the bhatiali tune emphasized the agony even
more. This effect is reached due to perfect harmonization of form and
content. The form gave meaning to the content. Therefore, it did not seem
to be a superficial blending.
Gradually, Hemanga Biswas learned the art of using folk tune to create
mass songs of rebellion. His experimentation with folk forms was soaring
high. His gifted sense of keen observation allowed him to listen to songs
unnoticed by others. One such song was composed on a sarigaan (song
sung by boatman) that he heard while a sailor was singing:
Sabdhane Gurujir nam loure sadhu bhai…
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In the tune of Dhamail (folk song of Bengal), he has depicted the
sorrow and plight of a woman. Unable to bear the pain of starvation, a
woman takes to prostitution. He narrates how many women lost their
chastity in the hands of lustful foreign militaries:
Tora bol sakhi bol, bol amare
Oke ghar bar korlo nari ra
Chilo sayai dhaka pakhidaka mayai ghera ghor
Swamir sayai dhaka mayai ghera ghor
Swamir sohag chilo kolo santanar odar
Sei ghore ke agun dilo, sarbassa dhan nilo hore.
The following song reveals the strength of a woman where she has been
depicted as a fighter against the oppressor:
Tora dekhbi jodi ai, kulonari
Loraite jai
Dekhbi jodi ai sajani, ekar mora
Marbo japani
Je japani chin desoto goragori jai lo
Hemanga Biswas wrote a song keeping the same tune which became
extremely popular:
Kastetare diu jore san kisan bhai re
Fosol katar somoi ele katbe sonar dhan
Dosyu jodi lutte ase katbe tahar jaan re…
(Sharpen your sickle with strong hands
O kisan, my brother
Press your sickle with strong hands
As you sharpen it against the whetstone
When the time comes for harvesting,
With your sickle you will gather a golden harvest,
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If the robber comes to rob you,
With your sickle you will cut off his throat)
Thus, Biswas and his companions used vast the folk song traditions
of Assam in their compositions which were then used in mass
movement. The above mentioned song was chosen to be sung at the
‘Beheli Peasant’s Conference’ for the first time, which highly enthused the
peasants. The song spread like a whirlwind in and around through the
voices of the peasants. This great success reassured Hemanga Biswas the
fact that a revolutionary subject could be made familiar by means of
adopting familiar forms of the masses. The above song also gives an
inspiring message of class struggle. Irawat Singh, the legendary leader
from Manipur danced while singing it with a sickle in his hand in the party
conference held in Mumbai. He translated the song into the Manipuri
language. Hemanga Biswas humbly admitted that many educated
musicians belonging to middle class including him drew materials from
folk artists. Some songs composed in folk tune and folk-song style were
solely written for the cause of the People’s Theatre Movement. These
songs merged into the trend of folk songs in due course of time. The above
mentioned song also falls into that category.
Most of the cultural items were presented before the public with utmost
commitment and loyalty. Therefore the performances became very lively.
The IPTA artists considered performances to be a direct medium of
communication with the people, said Dilip Sarma while narrating his
experiences in the interview. That is why when Dilip Sarma and
Sudakshina Sarma together performed Paneir Ponakan composed by
Bhupen Hazarika, people moved with emotion. The following is yet
another adaptation based on an experiment on bihu songs of Assam
where folk essence is reinterpreted by Dilip Sarma:
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Tamolore barison oi amarenu dexore oi
Senisampa phulbor oi
Einu khon dexoloi oi
Bhaskar Barmar alohi hoi, Hue en Chang ahisil oi
Roi nu roi roi nu roi kotonuje dekhile oi… (From interview)
Using pure folk idiom and colloquial language, he and Sudakshina
Sarma had taken this song far and wide. This narrates the history of
Huen Tseng visiting Assam. This is one of the best examples using
folksongs and folk idioms in composing yet another song of the same
fervour. The simple form and the alliteration itself are so enlivening that
the audience does not pay much attention to the content. The origin of the
above quoted song is:
Athiaje kolore oi
Moina nu jaan gulapi oi
Patene nekatiba oi
Moina nu jaan gulapi oi
Sitiki je poribo etha nu jaan gulapi oi
Bhagon masor kait nu jaan gulapi oi
Niore je niore je tiai jai ga
The mission of popularizing folk forms and using it for some purpose
is still carried forward by the successors of the IPTA in order to
mobilize people against prevailing political conditions. The following is
one such song depicting the prevailing situation based on a ghosa2 viz.
Kola Loyo Basudeva he. Emulating the tune of ghosa the following song
was composed by Naren Dutta, the first general secretary of Nalbari branch
of the IPTA:
2 Ghosa means chanting of verse adopted from Vaishnavite tradition of chanting songs of
praise of Lord Krishna that is deep-rooted in Assamese cultural life.
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Aji raijor bilai naihe
He’ raije sokupani mose
Samaj Kumbhire raijor gili ase…
Ana-guna kori raije bohi thakile nohobo
Nij mukti nij hate
Dhoribo lagibo
The verse of Ghosa narrates the story of Lord Krishna’s when he was
taken to Brindavan from his birth place Mathura by his father Vasudev
so as to escape Kangsa’s brutality. To reach Mathura they had to cross
the Yamuna River in stormy night. Kangsa, as it were, is the symbol of
exploitation and anarchy. Probably, IPTA adopted the form of the
abovementioned hymn not merely for its theme, but also for its inherent
symbolic assertions. It has the connotation that common masses have to
fight overcoming all hurdles to assert his freedom. In regard to using
materials drawn from Vaishnavite tradition , Bishnuprasad Rabha said that
the cultural items like bhaona and ojapali of Vaishnavite tradition have
to be modified so as to suit the contemporary age (Rabha 1997: 1278).
The social dynamics imbibed by the people and firmly rooted since ages
had to be given a different impetus without denying the
tradition.Vaishnavite as well as folk tradition had to be taken into account
owing to the complex cultural mosaic of this region. The IPTA people
were sensitive towards this nationality pattern and fully utilized this to get
closer to people at large.
Nikunjalata Mahanta, the life long activist of the IPTA said in her
interview that IPTA is the protector of the Assamese national culture
with a broad outlook. Therefore it successfully attempted to bring the
satriya culture out to the greater world from the restricted walls of
namghar and kirtanghar and secularized it. Narahari Burhabhakat is one
such artist to have stepped out from conservative society to a wider
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world of progressive people’s culture. Influenced by the IPTA ideals, he
pioneered and composed a dance form popularly known as bhortal nritya.
This dance form is performed with very big cymbals. The rhythm is a
combination of both grace and vigour. A pair of common Mynah, fighting
it out, had inspired Narahari Burhabhakat, the architect behind this dance
form, to compose some of the most vital movements.
Dilip Sarma said in this context that the IPTA did not deny the
classical art, but it gave more emphasis to folk art because classical art
also sprang out from folk culture. There is no conflict between the two.
Therefore the artists of IPTA composed creative songs by amalgamating
both the forms. Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Bishnuprasad Rabha, Brajen Barua
and he himself experimented with it. During the period of revival of the
IPTA in Assam in 1952-53, Brajen Barua rendered his extensive support.
Bhupen Hazaraka offered his credence to Brajen Barua for his contribution
to the Assamese modern songs through his experimentation with western
music and giving a new taste of music through orchestration. He composed
an orchestra in western style named as Juddha aaru Xanti (War and peace)
on the basis of the Indian primary classical modes of music. This
composition was regarded as one of the best creations by Hemanga Biswas
(Majumdar 2008: 95). The following evergreen song was composed by
Keshav Mahanta and was tuned by Brajen Barua:
O aai amar kopalote
Ronga sendurere tilok aki dia
Dawar phali rongor melaloi jao…
(O mother draw a red tilok
On our forehead
Breaking the cloud
We are heading for the
Fete of colours ….)
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The song is a harmonious blending of music and lyric. It song is a
synchronization of accented pause (after each four accents) and simple
appeal of the native tune. Similarly, Bhupen Hazarika created his
immortal piece of music Bistirna parore, axangxya janare which was
an adaptation of Paul Robeson’s most acclaimed protest song – ‘The
old man river’. But, the song composed by Bhupen Hazarika sounds so
original because of his unique style of depicting a contemporary picture of
his native society by replacing the river Jordan with Luit. Hemanga
Biswas quotes George Thomson regarding improvisation of folk songs. In
the famous book ‘Marxism and Poetry’ Thomson said, “every minstrel
with any skill at all always improvises, so that he cannot recite a song
twice over in exactly the same form …. However this is more relevant to
classical based songs, but improvisation of folk song is a collective
process. Moreover, improvisation of folk song can be done keeping its
local musical mode. It follows a certain melodic pattern which is a special
attribute of folk songs” (Biswas 1948: 49). That pattern has been employed
by IPTA so that common people may well relate themselves to it.
Following folk songs have been collected from Barak Valley, the form and
tune of which are adopted by the IPTA. The following is a Shepherd’s
rhyme:
Jhilkore jhilkore
Jhorjhoraiya teka pore
Bhaigonar bari, chauler mocha
Ek ek chaule noi noi mocha
Aamito khujia khai
Aamito magia khai
(Trickling trickling
Coins drop in plop
Nephew’s home, rice with mocha
I live on begging
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I live on alms)
Keeping the same tune and form the IPTA in Silchar composed the
following election song:
Look, look, brothers
Money falls swiftly
But certainly brother
Zero earning at month end …
Yet if you want money
Keep it mind
Clutch on to a minister
Run after him
Following is a ballad narrating birth story of husking pedal:
Suno suno boin go suno suno sakhigan
Eikhanete kori prosar dhekir biboron go’ dhekir biboron
Narad gela mamar bari sange nai tar bahon
Biswakarmar suniya taha gotre uthe kampan …
(Listen, listen o sisters, listen o friends
Let me recount you the story of dheki
Narad had been to his uncle’s home without a vehicle
Hearing this Biswakarma’s body gets a pull …)
The same mood and tempo of this folk song was adopted by the IPTA
(Silchar) during the time of election so as to capture the mind of the
general public. The aim of using folk forms here was political
mobilization. As such, it electrified the masses. The song is as follows:
Suno suno bondhugan suno desobasigan suno mebnotijan
Bochor ghurte abar ailo dese nirbachan, bhaire suno dia mon
Satchallise varatbarsa hoiachilo swadhin
Poroborti ponchas bochor congresser odhin
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Bhaire ki pailam etodin …
(Listen o listen friends
Listen o listen o countrymen,
Listen of listen o toilsomes
Election has approached with passing of a year
Brother lend your ears
India gained freedom in forty seven
Remained under Congress for the next fifty years
Pity brothers, what have we gained …?)
As the above cited songs were composed during the time of election, the
contents or the dictions are completely propagandist in nature and folk
tunes seemed to be used deliberately and in a superfluous manner. Though
it might have served the purpose of the IPTA, songs of these kinds do
not appeal much as those songs that were composed and tuned keeping
the authenticity of folk songs intact. Hence, these songs cannot be said
to have contributed significantly to the perpetuation of folklore. But their
role cannot be denied in regard to mass mobilization.
4.3 Incorporartion of folklore in the IPTA Repertoire
Folklore was an integral part of the IPTA’s venture to reach the common
people and assimilate them on the same ground. Keeping this in mind,
activists thronged into villages, factories, mines and tea gardens to collect
folklore materials. They could gather numerous folk songs as they had
an easy access to these riff-raffs. While organizing the movement, the
IPTA brought folk artists and folk items to focus,
They covered not only the thickly populated cities but
also remote villages and hamlets and hill areas…posing
before them social, economic, and political problems
through their songs, dances, dramas and most of the
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powerful traditional folk forms in all languages and
dialects of India, in the spirit of their singing motto-
Peoples’ Theatre Stars the People (Sen 2002).
That is how interplay had taken place between folklore, particularly, the
oral artifacts and the contemporary socio-cultural movement. Folk music is
one such dominant expanse that the Theatre Movement in Assam had
treaded on. Bhupen Hazarika precisely considers folk music as an ideal
vehicle for mass communication. Because, it has a directness and
simplicity in narration, that deals with a local specific subject and the
music is simple and therefore, easy to to learn and easy to sing. It is these
characteristics that make folk music a means of communication. He says,
“From my experience in this field as a folk song collector and interpretor, I
feel one should have a zest for life, a genuine love for his environment and
love for humanity-if one wishes to be a collector and interpretor of folk
songs” (Hazarika 2008: 1312). The zest for life combined with love for the
world as well as humanity is the influencing feature of the songs
propounded by the IPTA.
The common mass identified easily with the culture promoted by the IPTA.
Hemanga Biswas very clearly showed the relation between the IPTA and
folklore in many of his writings. His comrades and successors such as
Jyotiprasad Agarwala, Bishnu Rabha, Bhupen Hazarika, Mukunda Das
Bhattacharya, Keshav Mahanta, Brajen Barua, Dilip Sarma, Ramen
Barua and others have skillfully employed folk forms and tunes in
their artistic endeavor. They popularized some folk songs without
modifying its content. Following is an example of one such song based on
naokhelor geet3:
3 Folk song sung during traditional boat race held in Barpeta of lower Assam.
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Mor moluak kone marile
Hai mor molua re
Riha riha kore tai
Hai mor hori
Riha ani dilo moi
Hai mor hori
Rihar asole dhori kande mor mol ua re…
(Who killed my dear one
She asks for riha
And I fetched her one
Holding its end, she weeps
Oh Lord, she weeps…)
The rhythm and diction of folk songs are always appealing. Hence, the
IPTA had consciously blended different folk elements in order to
experiment with it. This experimentation involves adaptation,
improvization, selection and rejection. It was equally applicable in case of
dance and theatre. It is termed as ‘creative folk art’ by the creative dancer
Mukunda Das Bhattacharya who defines it in precise term as “when an
item of folk song or dance is modified in order to be more receptive
for a wider community, we call it creative folk art.”
The songs where folk expressions found a place and where remoulding of
folk songs are done by sustaining the folk spirit and zeal became immortal
pieces. The following song was composed by Bibhuranjan Choudhury, the
IPTA activist of Assam. The song is based on an Assamese folk song
known as dehbichar geet4 . The original folk song is as follows:
Dehar bharasa nai re
Kondina pagal sorir
4 Mystic songs revealing transience of human body.
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Kondina jabo choliye
E’ Hari e
Dhan buli moi dhan sanchilu
Bohu din kham pam buli
Dhon roilo pori
Deha goilo choli
Jen kochupator pani
(This human body cannot be relied on
Someday this cranky body will collapse
O’ lord
Craving for riches I set it aside a plentiful
Hoping to get a lot out of it
But money laid low
Body laid off
Like water from kochu leaf)
Keeping the flavour of the folk tune in the same frame Bibhuranjan
Choudhury composed the folk song by changing the content:
O’ raij tuponi vangibor hol
Nithur satasue karhile ses sambal
Jatanare bhora tomar kahini suni
Xihotor buku jano bhange …
(O’ the masses wake up from slumber
Heartless enemy has snatched away the last provision
Listening to your story of Plight
Do their hearts break …?)
Here, the rhythm of the folk song is not tampered. Many such
compositions have a pictorial quality for which they are sung even
today. The previously discussed Rangmon-Haradhanar geet is one
such example which depicts a picture of joy and sorrow of two farmers
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belonging to two distinct communities. The following is yet another
adaptation which blends the tune of zikir5 with a little improvisation:
Kutumar tejere radhili barhili
Kutumar tejere bonti jolali
Tor hiyakhon nuthilne bhagi mor bandhoi oi
Tor hiyakhon nuthilne bhagi mor bandoi oi
O’ ram tor elagi ne rahim tor elagi
(You cooked in your kin’s blood
You lighted the lamp
Dipping in kin’s blood
O’ companion did your heart not smash?
Who is ousted by you?
Rahim or Ram?)
This song touches upon hearts due to the appeal of the content. It is
so skillfully synchronized with the form of zikir that it creates an
original effect of folk song. This song is trying to raise a very vital
question at a time of communal violence. There are many other songs
composed by the IPTA artists that deal with the theme of communal
harmony and praise of humanity. The IPTA in Assam not only used folk
tunes of Assam but also of other parts of the country. Even the folk tunes
of foreign countries have attracted artists like Jyotiprasad Agarwala,
Bishnuprasad Rabha, Bhupen Hazarika, Hemanga Biswas, Dilip Sarma and
others. Hemanga Biswas composed the following song inspired by a
Khasi folk tune, and thereby have transformed it into a mass song
having an universal appeal. The Khasi song is as follows:
5 The zikirs are religious songs attributed to Ajan Fakir, a Sufi saint.
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Thaniyam6 (a flower) ne mo haitoo
Thala dopki sla wapo
Hemanga Biswas composed:
Ajadi hoini ajo for
Nababandhana srinkhaldor
Dukhoratrir hoini bhor
age kodom kodom jor
This song strikes the minds of both the youth and old even today because
of its vibrant rhythm and bold appeal to march together to bring about true
liberty. The following lyric is penned by Keshav Mahanta and tuned by
Dilip Sarma. He picked up this folk tune from Poland when he went there
to take part in the World Youth Festival held in 1955. The song was:
Axomore sotalor rod- kasoli
Kareno laoni senduri mukhoni jilmilai
(Sun beam washed yard of Assam
Whose rosy cheeks glow?)
This was greatly appreciated by the people of Assam which, according
to Sarma, signifies the universal appeal of folk tunes. This realisation
helped the IPTA to raise folk songs to a level of mass songs and from a
regional boundary to a universal pattern. The song is also enjoyable
because of the idiom. “Keshav Mahanta could stir a sympathetic cord in the
hearts of his readers by an abundant use of folk and popular idioms in his
poetry” (Sarma 2006: 250).
6 Thaniyam is a flower (commonly called ‘night queen’) that blooms for only few hours in a
year and it attracts the youth.They cannot stay back at home. Hence they go out with their
guitar. It is in a way a panegyric on nature and youth.
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Folk songs of pastoral origin like Bihugeet, Bangeet, Boragir Geet,
Biyanaam and Aainaam and many other genres were sung on ritualistic and
other social occasions. These were widely prevalent in rural areas of
Assam. But the Assamese elites paid no heed to folk songs of this kind.
The IPTA in Assam had brought a new wave in the field of Assamese
music by composing songs based on folk songs of distinctive style and
tune.These songs became popular among rural and urban people
alike.Thus, folk songs found their way into the repertoires of mainstream
music. Through the use of folk music elements, they created a distinctive
national variant to suit the contemporary context that was accepted by all.
These kinds of experiments do not fall into the categories of folk songs but
may be termed as ‘modern creative songs’ with adaptation from folksong.
This in turn took the shape of mass culture that had been the pre-
determined objective of the IPTA. As discussed previously, folk music and
folk theatre were taken up by political and a social movements throughout
the world. The IPTA conformed to the same principle.
4.4 Form and Content
The Century Dictionary (1889) defined folksong as “ a song of the people;
a song based on a legendary or historical event,or some incident of
common life, the words and generally the music of which have originated
among the common people, and are extensively used by them.” (Sharp
1907: 3)
Alan Lomax commented, “A song style, like other human things, is a
pattern of learned behavior, common to the people of all culture. Singing is
a specialized act of communication, akin to speech, but far more formally
organized and redundant… Whether chorally performed or not, however,
the chief function is to express the shared feelings and mould the joint
activities of some human community. It is to be expected, therefore, that
the content of the sung communication should be social rather than
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individual, normative rather than particular” (Lomax 1968: 3). Hemanga
Biswas quotes a definition on folk music framed by the International Folk
Music Council while discussing form and content of folklore adaptation.
“Folk music is the product of a musical tradition that has been
involved through the process of oral transmission. The factors that shape
the tradition are:
• Continuity which links the present with the past,
• Variation which springs from the creative impulse of the
individual or the group,
• Selection by the community, which determines the form or
forms in which the music survives… The term does not cover
popular music that has been taken over readymade by a
community and remains unchanged for it is the re-
fashioning and recreation of the music by the community that
endows to it its folk character” (Biswas 1990: 97).
The IPTA consciously or unconsciously followed the same principle with
great success. All the artists had their unique style of adopting folk
form.While discussing the adoption and synchronization of form and
content of songs produced by the Assam branch of the IPTA, various other
related devices like the lingua-franca, expression or metaphor comes into
question. Hemanga Biswas discussed these issues very clearly. Like his
counterparts (the pioneers of the IPTA movement in India), he was also
focused on employing folk form and introducing revolutionary content in
it . Herein arises the question of effective use of form and content.This has
always been a matter of controversy among writers and critics of
sophisticated literature. Typically we do not find any conflict between form
and content in oral derived literature. They are well synchronized with the
life activities of the unidentified author or a community where these are
produced,
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The subject-matter or the sources of inspiration of the
folksongs may vary. It may be free personal expression of
human feeling or expression of the group attitude towards
life…The folksongs are associated with life-activities of
individual or community. These are oral testimonies of the
traditional literary thoughts depicting the socio-literary
background of the societies still retaining the ‘primitive mind’
living in the unsophisticated way of life. In modern times the
folk songs are collected and found in written form. Thus, the
songs are dissociated from the music, melody and tune of the
songs, which are essential companions of the words, spoken
or written (Mahapatra 1967: 156-157).
The IPTA performers used folk forms very carefully. Along with form,
language was also carefully chosen. Colloquial or easily understood
languages are equally indispensable as familiar or popular forms. The style
and mode of singing varies from place to place and that is related to the
natural surrounding of the place where it originates. It is compared to a
child speaking its mother tongue without learning the grammar. He again
speaks of pitch in this regard where he says that pitch varies
according to geographical variation. That means it will differ when sung
in plains from when sung from a highland area. This is a universal
character of folk song. Moreover, folk songs of some distinctive places
have such a tonal uniqueness such as ‘yodeling’, ‘folk timber’ etc. that
even a very expert singer will not be able to catch even though the
melodic structure is well conceived off by him (Biswas 1990: 65).
The changes in form and content were necessitated by demands of
popular culture with new tone and vigour of the new art forms,
modeled on folk tradition and somewhat different from the existing
forms.
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Folk forms like Yatras, Bhaonas, Ojapalis and such other people’s art
form of Assam are still eking out of limping existence among the
peasant masses who still try to keep these forms alive as their off-time
cultural pursuits, because they need a fresh stimulus to ensure growth
and revival. It is for the the IPTA to study these forms and infuse
into them the sprit of the age (Pradhan 1982: 243).
Along with forms, folk expressions were also borrowed so that the
song or dance items become acceptable for all. For the IPTA artists,
neither form nor content is an independent entity, rather one complements
the other. Many a times the first quartrain or initial lines are adapted
from a folk song to grasp the attention of the listeners, and then the
content is gradually modified so as to throw a message. This is called
blending (as mentioned by Bibhuranjan Chaudhury). The following song is
one such adoption, which is based on folk song of Barpeta. Purosottam Das
composed this song:
Rati puailo re, o kuruai pare rao
Balite bagori kande duti baghor chao
….karo bhagyot namil din karo vagyot rati
Sokur agot heral tar sat puruxor mati…
Starting with a popular folk song, it tells of the disparity prevailing
in society. The folk rhythm and tune is sustained till the end so as to
grasp the mood of the listeners. Many songs were built on the ballad
form with a modified content. Bihu, Bhawaiya, Bhatiali, Jari-gaan, Sari-
gaan and other folk forms acquired a new life when social issues
and concerns were introduced as the content of these forms (Rai 1992: 63).
These songs were accepted and added to the treasure of folklore and
gradually acquired the status of folksongs. Because they did not remain an
individual product, eventually they became a collective expression. The
dealt problems raised by those songs are sufferings by the community
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and they, thereby, become a collective expression. Many songs depict
social awareness of the folk artists like Ramesh Seal, Gumani Dewan7,
Nibaran Pandit8, Gurudas Pal
9 and Tagar Adhikari
10 whose lives and songs
attracted communist artists. Many progressive artists were influenced by
their creations. The folk artists were given a scope to perform their
creation on the IPTA platform. The folk artists of the working class
were recognized as the pride of the organization. For that reason, artists
like Moghai Oja could internalize progressive ideology without being
theoretically trained in it. Folk artist Gurudas Pal probably was the first to
use Jatra form as a media of expressing political ideology (ibid). The
following song composed by Tagar Adhikari shows proclivity towards his
livelihood
Diner sobha suruj re
Rayter sobha chand
Ar sachir sobha hal krishi
Jominer sobha dhaan…
(Sun ornate the days
As moon does to night
Plough is the glory of the farmer
7 (1896-1976) He was known, by far, as the greatest kavial (impromptu composer and singer of
a music form in which a public debate is conducted by way of singing) of Murshidabad. His
fame as a kavial spread far and wide.He was widely respected for his talent as a musician as
well as his broadness of mind and respect for all religion. 8 (1912-1984) a famous folk poet and musician from Mymensingh district of Bangladesh who
later settled down in Bengal. He had a life long association with the IPTA. He was a share-
cropper and bidi worker. He became quite famous for his songs composed on the occasion of
Hajong Bidroho, a peasant revolt in Rangpur (presently in Bangladesh) and several other
songs on People’s War, on National Defence and food. 9 He was born in the Metiaburuj region (near Kolkata). He also worked in a bidi manufacturing
factory and came under the influence of the communist party thereafter and composed many
songs and plays.One such was Muktir Dak (Call for Freedom). 10
(1914-1972) a blind folk singer and a proficient dotara (a two-string folk musical instrument)
player, from a small village of Dhubri district which is considered as a center of folk-music in
Assam. His life story was later dramatized by the Late Bijan Bhattacharya in Mora chand
(dead moon) on the basis of folk form.
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As paddy adorns the fields)
Folk song emanates from folk life, their sorrows, plight, joy and
struggle. There is yet another dimension of folk songs and that is
spirituality. Many of the folk songs are ritual based. The IPTA did not
adapt all the elements of folk songs. They adhered to the principle of
acceptance and rejection and did not just pick up folk forms randomly.
They collected the folk songs with a purpose. The elements which could
enthuse people were adopted and the rest kept aside. At times some
creations could not gain favourable response from the audience due to
non-conformity of form and content. For example, a contemporary
problem may not fit into certain folk forms like ballad, resulting in
mass rejection of the composition. One can not always forcefully infuse
modern themes into folk form (as said by Subha Nandi Majumdar in the
interview). But most of the time, the IPTA was successful in creating mass
songs out of the rich resources of folk music. Because, apart from the folk
artists of humble origin, artists coming from the middle class background
were also exploring the folk genres on their own accord.This was done
even before they got themselves associated with the IPTA, as has been
discussed in the previous chapter. Some of them were also well-versed in
classical music. So, many a times they blended folk with classical music by
using both indigenous and western classical instruments.These experiments
of course sprang from nationalistic sentiments. After the formal
inauguration of the IPTA, such experiments got an ideological momentum
and these efforts were streamlined by providing a desired platform for arts
and artists from all arenas of life.This practice had become one of the vital
parts of the cultural movement. They had an assigned task of involving the
downtrodden and making them aware about their oppression and
emphasized on class struggle and penetrated into their work. Thus, mere
enfolding ‘folk’ forms did not transform these songs into mass songs. It
was the contexts in which they were performed. Referring to the audience’s
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reaction to Paul Robeson’s songs; Bhupen Hazarika quoted Shirley
Graham to define mass songs, “They clapped! They shouted! They waved
their handkerchiefs, they stamped their feet! Again and again they shouted,
they would not let him stop” (Hazarika 2008: 244). Therefore, Bhupen
Hazarika felt that when masses participate with the content and form, a
song becomes a mass song (ibid). Once he remarked, “The kind of songs
that I wrote during 1940 or 1945 may not resemble the songs that I wrote
in 1994. Some songs were written to help the contemporary conflicts.”
(ibid: 1285). Songs and situations complimented each other. Because, “it is
not mere art divorced from society and its institutions. Performance
situations are always linked to societal situations” (Sen: 2004: 100).
The connoisseur artists of the IPTA explored the diversified field of
folklore in the plains and hills and propagated an art where form and
content is inseparable from each other. Along with other provincial
branches of India, the IPTA in Assam also brought to the limelight several
unrecognized genres which were suffering in ignominy as these were given
no heed by the then Assamese elites. That is why Hemanga Biswas
believed, “Our masses are on the move and new songs are being
born, revitalizing the traditional tunes with new contents of life. The
people’s composer shares the life of the people and gives expressions
to the emotions of the millions gripped by a new ideology of economic
and political emancipation. Our task is to collect, treasure and propagate
this” (Biswas 1967: 176).That was the only way to achieve the widest
possible contact with the masses and their daily toils and sufferings and
other experiences of real life opening up a massive opportunity for the
development of popular themes. Easily understood, acceptable to the
people, clear and realistic forms are popular forms. The content of those
songs are attuned to adequately express the thoughts and ideas of the folk
artists.
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4.5 A Case Study on Haradhan-Rangmon Kotha
In Assam, the folk and the modern culture live side-by-side, one
complimenting the other. Besides, the folk is an infinitely self-sustainable
area and can accommodate all changes from within and without. The
interaction between the folk and the modern cultures can be monitored with
reference to folk songs and music. They bear witness to the movement
launched by the IPTA and were effective in bringing about harmony
between communities. Composed combinely by Hemanga Biswas and
Bhupen Hazarika, Haradhan-Rangmon Kotha is the milestone to such an
attempt which still lingers on the minds of people who came in contact
with the IPTA in one way or the other. It touches upon the emotion of any
listener and arouses the humane feeling. People had even shed tears while
listening to it. Subha Prasad Nandi Mazumdar, a mass-singer and an
IPTA activist of Silchar while sharing his conviction as a cultural
activist said so. He also said that this song is a unique blending of two
different folk tunes, Bihu and Bhatiali composed in two languages,
Assamese and Bengali. This could be made possible due to the great hold
of Hemanga Biswas and Bhupen Hazarika over folk songs of both the
communities. Each verse was preceded by a speech to build up the
conversation. Therefore, it can be called a musical feature rather than a
song:
Ghoroto nobohe mon xomoniya- potharoto nobohe mon
Kohua tulabor jenekoi urise, tenekoi uribor mon
(My mind would rather wonder
Like water cress flower, not involved in the fields, my mate
Nor interested in household chore)”
But at the same time he does not forget Haradhan’s woe and tries to
raise his spirits with language of love in the tune of Bihu :
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Monore bononir senehor nijorar panike etupi piu
Porakoi bhetite tumi ghor bandha ami tongal tolaie diu
(Let me have a wee drop of water
From the spring of love in the minds woods
We’ll all help out with thatch and roof)
A sorrowful melody of goalpariya lokageet (folk song of the Goalpara
district) springs out from the painstricken Haradhan’s throat-
Abar bandhum ghor, abar gaimu gaan
Dukhe Jodi pasan gole; golbe ki poran
(I will build a house again where I’ll sing
If sorrow can melt stones, won’t it move the heart…?)
Victory of humanity echoed through Rangmon’s song:
Luitor saporit sakoie kandile- manuhor naokhon sai
Manuhor dukhote manuh buribo-anokson doxibor nai
(The brahmini duck wails in the sand bank of Luit
Man drowns on his own, there is no blaming others)
Haradhan sings this time with poise expressing his appreciation and at the
same time seeking an answer to his query which he is unable to find:
Padmar tufan udaiya nilo amar sukher ghor
Ujan theilya ailam ami Luitero chor,
Amar vanga naoe bondhu tumi dilai pal
Ami dhorlam boitha bondhu tumi dhorlai hal
Ei Milan gange anlo bolo ke biveder baan
Chor vangilo ghor vangilo dublo sonar dhan
Amaar dehe bristi sukai
Roktokolai suruj ghumai
Haler khuti uthite sobhai
Tobu keno upobasi
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Nij dese porobasi
Somonia bolona amai
(The banks are flooded, the houses wrecked
The golden crops are sunk
My body soaks the rain dry
The sun sleeps in my blood
The plough signs in my feast
Yet why do we starve?
Why am I a refugee in my own land?
Tell me O’ comrade…)
Rangmon replies expressing his solidarity :
Vaxa nubujiu juge juge ahe, manuhe manuhor pine
Moromor vaxare akhor naikia, bujibo khujile sine
Gangar saporir tolite dekhiba, Luitor poloxo ase
Tomar mor aiye kandile ekei sokupani mose
Tumie moie dexkhon gorhote, jodihe kesagham xore
Duiore ghamere milone dekhiba, buronji rosona kore
(Alien tongues, yet man meet man in love
No letters though but with love we follow
In the bed of the Ganges you’ll see silt of the Luit
When our mother cries the same tears they shed
When we toil with the sweat of our brow
We make history while the crops grow)
Both sing together in the tune of Bihu , Rangmon in Assamese and
Haradhon in Bengali :
Eneno dukh lage bandhoi, enenu dukh lage
Emon dukho lagere bondhu, emon dukho lage
Otit diner milon smriti, jokhon mone jage
Tumi chorale beez bondhu, ami katlam ali
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Ekei songe ghore anlam sonali rupsali
(It pains me so my friend, it pains me so (Rangmon)
It pains me so my friend, it pains me so (Haradhon)
When memories of yester years raise in my mind
You sowed the seeds I made the embankments
We brought home the golden treasure together
You dance to the tune of Bihu I keep the beat
bihu will merge in bhatiali in synchrony
We’ll rebuild our nation with heartful of love-rendition)
So, the tune of bihu mingles into bhatiali and vice-versa. Thus, the rift
between the two is bridged. This piece is a milestone of conscious use of
folk tune depicting a reality. It is a powerful blending of two folk tunes.
The merging of bihu and bhatiali towards the end is symbolic of
unity and togetherness of two peasants which itself forms a class.
Again his use of metaphor of the rivers the Ganges, the Padda (Padma) and
the Luit (Brahmaputra) tells the history of migration and socio-cultural
assimilation to form the Assamese composite culture. He asserts this unity
against all kinds of sectarian politics. The song tried to give a message-
united they will endure sufferings together and even fight it back with all
their might; but if divided, they will disintegrate and they must strive to
live together. Because, both Haradhan and Rangmon were representatives
of the same class i.e. the toiler class, irrespective of differences in language
or caste.