The dhangars (shepherds) of Sangli are dealing with a tough drought. They get little water to drink, cook or bathe, and their animals and small farms get even less.
The dhangars (shepherds) of Sangli are dealing with a tough drought. They get little water to drink, cook or bathe, and their animals and small farms get even less. But Pandurang Appa Kolekar from Aarewadi village has decided to forget his hardships for a week, as he is busy perfecting his dance steps in order to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre next week.
Come Thursday, dhangari gaja, the vigorous folk dance dedicated to the dhangar deity Biruba, will be making its debut in Moscow at the Festival of India organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). The festival that had created a lot of buzz ten years ago is being revived, and Indian folk art forms are going to find a new stage in Russia.
“We could dance all night at the Bolshoi, like we do during navaratri and gudi padwa as an offering to Biruba. But we will be doing only a short four-minute version there
(Bolshoi Theatre) and maybe a few other shows around Moscow,” says Kolekar.
Dhangari gaja will share the Bolshoi stage with 18 other art forms from 16 Indian states. This special show titled Sahasra Patra (thousand lotuses) will be the biggest event of the festival and will be watched by the presidents of the two countries.
Interestingly, some of the troupes — the kahadiya nritya of the Dang tribe from south Gujarat, for instance — have never performed in any Indian metro.
Performed at festivals and special occasions in the jungle district of Dang, it is a cross between a dance form and acrobatic in which women take part with equal enthusiasm.
Vanita Jaywant, 20, started participating in the dance ritual when she was 15 and the journey to Moscow is her first trip out of home. Her team leader Shivaji Bhoye, however, had a chance to dance in Sri Lanka back in 1987. “It is tough sustaining the interest of the community’s youngsters in this dance. Most of them are drawn to the band-baaja type of dance and the filmi moves,” says Bhoye.
Other first timers include the beesu kamsale dancers from Bangalore-Mysore. This vibrant folk dance with its very catchy music is dedicated to Mahadeshwara, a Shiva form worshipped in the region. Most members of this group depend on the art-form for their livelihood. A few others have taken on city jobs. The kamsale troupe has never danced outside of Bangalore.
The more famous Manganiar singers of Rajasthan, Pung Cholam drummers of Manipur and Bhangra dancers of Punjab too will perform at the Bolshoi, but it’s the folk dancers who are expected to make a big mark this year.
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