TAMASHA:FOLK FORM OF WESTERN INDIA

Performance:Heart of Tamasha

The performance begins with the entry of the musicians. It is the dholkiwala who enters at first playing on a dholki and the Halgiwala playing on a daf. While the dholki provides the basic rhythm, and the usual metrical cycles or kala are played on it while the daf provides the sharp accents and other piercing sounds. The beginning of the recital is announced by them. Then enters the cymbal player and the tuntune player. Then the singer enters and takes his position in front of the group.

An invocation to Ganesha is sung. The entire group of musicians move forward and backward with their backs to the audience. Sometimes, the invocation is to Shiva and Parvati. The singing is known as gana and the whole invocatory composition is called the avahana.

Tamasha performers in the middle of the play
Picture courtesy: google

This is followed by the gavalana or gowlan, which literally means milkmaid, but in the Tamasha context, it grew into a song woven around the theme of Krishna and the milkmaids. Krishnalila, is replaced by an atmosphere of every day love, teasing and tantalizing. The gowlan (who is a female heroine) enters the stage and begins a dialogue with the principle singer, with the end of her sari across her head and held by two outstretched arms. This provides a moment of suspense and excitement to the audience, which is all too eager to see her face. She enters with her back to the audience and moves around the stage in rhythmic steps, surrounded all the time with the musicians who follow her. The songadya or the farceur feigns the role of Krishna and there are exchanges between the gowlan and the songadya. The instrumentalists join the conversation here and there is scope for pure dance or nritta by the gowlan and erotic dialogue by them. The hero-jester pair maintains a link between the songs as also between the audience and the performers. The theme of the Danlila, where milkmaids going to sell their wares are way laid by Krishna and his pendya, who demand toll from them is presented in a manner of teasing tomfoolery and even some amount of sarcasm. There is also the comic character of an elderly lady Mavashibai accompanying the milkmaids. For greater fun, this is played by a male actor.