The students of Madhya Pradesh School of Drama (MPSD) spectacularly performed the dying folk art of Jammu and Kashmir ‘Bhand Pather’ leaving the audience mesmerised here on Thursday.
Directed by Mushtaq Kak, Bhand Pather is one of the most satirical and realistic drama, one which incorporates mythological legends and contemporary social satire; a traditional mixture of art.
Bhand Pather is a popular folk art of Kashmir. Bhand Pather is a form of traditional Kashmiri theatre that is passed down not just through families, but through entire villages.
It is a traditional folk theatre style mixture of play, music and dance in a satirical style, where social traditions, evils are depicted and performed in various social and cultural functions.
The musical extravaganza is based on a central theme that is usually a satire or laced with wit and dry humor.
The satires are full of irony and more often than not depict the triumph of the good over the evil. People celebrate the victory of the good by immersing themselves in loads of revelry.
The Bhand Pather plays are satirical by tradition. Although the unwritten scripts often describe to the days of the Maharaja, when landlords were the oppressors of peasants, the Bhand Pather plays political commentary still has great resonance today.
Bhand Pather provides a voice, however small, for a people who would otherwise be silenced.
A beautiful blend of song, dance and drama makes up this highly fascinating folk theater and a living cultural tradition of Kashmir.
The play was splendidly performed by the students of batch 2018-19.
Mushtaq Kak said that when there was no trend of print and electronic media, at that time it was a unique way of spreading social, political and religious messages in Kashmiri society.
The folk art of Kashmir, which was presented in the sarcastic accent, raised political resistance and burning issues in a unique way.