Post news Network
By Sagar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 11: A few days back, in the beginning of December, a group of fifty men and women in traditional garb took to the streets demanding official recognition for a performing art on the verge of extinction. What was different was that they were not shouting slogans or trying to obstruct traffic, but were dancing and playing traditional musical instruments. Meet the practitioners of one of the state’s oldest folk art forms which died a slow and sure death – Gonda Baja.
With no documented history to speak of unlike other folk arts, Gonda Baja today has few patrons left, mostly villagers who have learnt the art from their fathers. The Gonda Baja practitioners are a nomadic lot: they are always on the move from one place to another according to Ghasi Ram Mishra, a folk artiste who runs an art school in Bolangir.
“The Gonda Baja artistes have no steady income. They make ends meet by performing at low-key marriage ceremonies and functions in rural areas. The art was mainly a bastion of the dalits, but over the years came to be hijacked by upper-caste artistes who were also struggling for a living,” Mishra explained.
Gonda Baja is a folk art which has a role for every member of the artist community. “You will see men playing instruments such as the dhol, nishaan, tinki, tassha and muhari, while women dance in unison. Each of the instruments has a unique sound that signifies Panchtatva: water, soil, fire, air and sky. I come from a Gonda Baja family and I’ve been witness to how this art has been passed on over several generations,” said Haldar Nath, a performing artiste.
Gonda Baja doesn’t find a mention in the list of 465 art forms recognised by the culture department. Nor does any of its artistes find a place among the 7,279 art groups registered in the state.
When asked about the lack of recognition of the dance form, Basudev Malbishoyi, state project coordinator, pleaded ignorance. “Is it from Malkangiri?” he asked with a touch of bewilderment and then checked a list and was disappointed not to find the name anywhere.
Priya Yadav, a Gonda Baja dancer from Sambalpur, said, “I’ve been performing for two years and earn my living by performing at different places. But it’s been a difficult journey and people look down upon us.”
Another Gonda Baja artiste Gurudev Sahoo, 25, from Bargarh who plays the dhol, said, “I’m probably the last in my family who will be playing the dhol. I learnt it from my father at the age of four. But I’m finding it hard to continue in this as I have to stay jobless for half of the year.”
The artistes want the government to bestow official recognition upon the folk art and also open a performing art school where artistes can get jobs as teachers and continue the art.
In the last few months, the state has taken an initiative by building zilla and block-level Sanskruti Sangathans for artistes to get enrolled. But Gonda Baja artistes allege partiality on the part of the the selection committee in getting the groups and art forms registered. “The state has treated dalit folk arts in a step-motherly way and has been selective in promoting folk arts of the state,” said Ghasi Ram Mishra.
