That’s all, folk

From thali ki Ramayan to lavani, a workshop series introduces participants to indigenous art forms from across India in a bid to support traditional artist communities

At the peak of the first lockdown last year, Bengaluru-based theatremaker and storyteller Akhshay Gandhi — who runs Still Space Theatre, a multi-disciplinary ensemble of artistes — reached out to performing artistes from rural regions of Karnataka to help them tide over the crisis. “In the process, we realised that we need to invest in artistes’ communities. We identified 45 artistes who got a grant. 

We introduced them to the digital platform and helped them organise themselves,” shares Gandhi about the #forartistsandarts initiative. So, when the second wave struck, Gandhi and his team extended their support to artistes from different corners of India. “Apart from raising funds, we felt that if we equip these artistes with technology, it can lead to an artistic exchange,” he tells us.

Anil Hankare, a lavani artiste

The Community Box — a series of online workshops on indigenous performing art forms — is a result of that exchange. The series, which kicked off last weekend, features traditional artistes such as folk puppetry artiste Prabir Sinha from Bengal, thali ki Ramayan singer Dinesh Chandra from Uttar Pradesh (UP), lavani performer Anil Hankare from Maharashtra and bahurupiya artiste Akram Khan Bahurupiya from Rajasthan. 

Each facilitator belongs to a community which has been practising the art form for generations. “Thali ki Ramayan is an interesting art form. In the villages of UP, when a snake bites a person, to keep the victim awake, the villagers bring out their kitchen utensils and sing the stories of Ramayan all night. It’s also used to create a safe space to discuss mental health issues,” informs Gandhi. Lavani performer Hankare, meanwhile, has been training since 14, and has curated a programme called Bin Baykancha Tamasha, where men are encouraged to take up lavani, breaking the gender barrier. “Then, there’s Akram, a seventh-generation bahurupiya artiste. We’ve all grown up seeing them dressing up as lord Ram and Krishna on the streets. He will explain the nuances of improvising these characters. There’s also Sinha, from Sundarbans, who’ll showcase putul naach or folk puppetry,” Gandhi reveals.

Proceeds from the workshops will aid the artistes and their community. “This is our first edition, but we hope to continue this effort,” Gandhi signs off.

On: August 21, 22, 28 and 29 
Log on to: stillspacetheatre.co.in or @stillspacetheatre on Instagram 
Cost: Rs 500 for each

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