Folk theatre in Odisha has a rich legacy. While each region has its own distinct form, many are on the brink of disappearance with the audience turning to other modes of entertainment.
Chadheya Nata, which would help propagate social, political and cultural issues in the past, is one such folk theatre form which is gradually fading into oblivion.
Sunday POST takes a look at the origin, growth, subsequent decline and the last-ditch effort to revive the art.
The Origin
The form of Chadheya Nata is drawn from mythology. King Sweta, a renowned ruler of the Puranic era had made an oblation. A bamboo plant emerged from the sacrificial pit and taking some parts of the plant, the king crafted a noose. Then, he gave it to Biswabasu, the king of Sabara tribals, and ordered him to hunt birds for his livelihood. From that day, Biswabasu and his successors have been catching birds and are called Chadheya or a bird-hunter.
Meanwhile, a successor of Biswabasu one day thought that killing birds for a living is a sin. Therefore, he decided to visit a few shrines along with his wife to do penance. During their visit to a shrine, the couple got separated from each other in the crowd of devotees. They tried to trace each other, but in vain. As the story goes, the search is still on. This folktale forms the theme of the play, Chadheya Nata.
Crux of the play
Chadheya holds a pole in one hand and a noose in the other. The artistes of Chadheya Nata perform vigorously to the accompanying music, including the thundering sound of dhol (drum), the symphony of mahuri (a trumpet-like instrument) and the sound of cymbals. The play has four major characters: Chadheya, Chadheyani, Mausa (uncle), and Chaukidar (watchman). The artistes need to be versatile as the characters have to sing, act and dance simultaneously. The play starts with a kid urging his grandfather (Mausa) to tell a true story following which the latter narrates about Chadheya and Chadheyani. Then the entire story of Chadheya and his wife and how they got separated is shown in flashback. At the end, it is shown that both Chadheya and Chadheyani meet Mausa separately in the process of searching for their life partners and express their distress to Mausa. Mausa calls the Chaukidar and requests him to help them. Gathering all the information from both of them separately, he finally unites them and the play concludes.
As the play aims to entertain, Chadehya and Chadheyani describe humourously in lyrics, each other’s looks, complexion and nature. The lyrics are thought-provoking and enjoyable. The play is performed in the open air and the audience thoroughly enjoys the mirthful lyrics.
Growth
Earlier, Chadheya Nata was performed and watched by people belonging to the bottom rung of the ladder. With the passing of time, upper caste people too began appreciating its aesthetic and religious values. Among the key exponents of this folk play was Bhagaban Sahu, the ace director who is believed to have taken the art form to a global audience. Renowned Chadheya Nata artistes include Bhagabat Das, Brundaban Jena, Golak Das and Sachindra Jena.
Downhill journey
Artiste Brahmanath Rath who has played different characters like Chaukidar, Chadheya and Mausa for the last 35 years held the government responsible for the declining popularity of Chadheya Nata. “The culture department is doing nothing to revive it. No training programme is held to connect youths with the dying art form. That apart, people don’t have time and patience to watch Chadheya Nata. Gone are the days when people from all walks of life used to sit up all night to watch folk play. Nowadays, we are told to wrap up the play as soon as possible as there are only a few people to watch the show. As a result of this, we cannot do justice to the play. Many artistes stopped acting due to financial problems. Chadheya Nata is certainly a dying folk art form now. A collective effort is required to revive the form,” says Rath.
The silver lining
Bhadrak-based cultural outfit Sanchar Cultural Association is leaving no stone unturned to popularise the form.
Secretary of the outfit Subhendu Lenka says, “We formed Sanchar with an objective to revive the folk art form in 2016. From 2016 till the outbreak of corona we staged 25 shows, out of which five were sponsored by the government. When the art form is staged at Rabindra Mandap or Jaydev Bhawan, it draws a huge audience. But it fails to woo the audiences when staged in smaller auditoriums. Elderly people love watching the play while today’s youths show little interest in watching it. To attract the young mass, we have made some changes in the script and kept the duration of the play to 45 minutes.”
Subhendu adds: “I love playing the role of Chadheya because the lyrics are funny as well as thought-provoking. I love the interactions between Chadheya and Chadheyani.”
Badal Sikdar, whose efforts have kept the famous theatre form of Bhadrak’s Mughal Tamasha alive, is an advisor to Sanchar. He says, “Odisha is famous for its rich cultural heritage and traditions and it is our responsibility to promote them. So, I am working for the art forms which are on the verge of disappearance. I have formed Sanket, a cultural organisation to popularise Mughal Tamasha. This time, we — 15 members of the outfit — have come forward to revive the Chadheya Nata, which was once popular among art lovers across the country.”
Hemant Singh, president of Sanchar, says, “Our only aim is to revive the dying forms of folk art. Earlier, kids were sent to Chatasali for their early learning. Now they are being taught in air-conditioned rooms. With time, we need to adapt to the changes. So, we formed Sanchar to keep the art form alive by making some changes in its presentation. Chadheya Nata had almost disappeared from the scene in the 90s. But now people are getting attracted towards it because of our efforts. Unfortunately, the government is not doing anything for the survival of the art and its artistes.”
Assistant secretary Sumati Panda who does playback for Chadheyani says, “I have been rendering voices for the Chadheyani character for the last four years. We held the first show in Balasore where we felicitated the prominent artistes of folk theatre. At the beginning, we had a thin audience. But gradually it grew. Now, the shows are witnessing footfall of around 500 people.”
Apart from Sanchar, Balasore-based Nrutya Sangeet Kala Mandir is working hard for the revival of folk art.
Ajay Acharya, a member of the organisation who has been playing the Chadheya since 1986, agrees that Chadheya Nata has lost its charm in the present scenario. “Earlier, people used to watch the play for about four hours. Now, when we stage Chadheya Nata, the organisers request us to wind up the play in 15-30 minutes. From this, you can gauge the falling interest of the audience. People’s mindset has changed over the years. Now they are more interested in watching TV and exploring social media than watching a folk play,” says Ajay, a lawyer by profession.
Rashmi Rekha Das,OP
