Semi-Dramatic Institutions:
By Semi-Dramatic Institution we mean Dramatic Material Incorporated in Some Religious and Ritualistic Performances. For example, Padmapuran or Marai performances have much in common with the important folk-drama form: there is a leading singer (Mul or Gital) who carries a whisk. There are a number of assistants (Pail or Paila) who provide both the choric support and the musical accompaniment. And there is also the provision of breaks (bhangti) for dramatic dialogues between the leader and the principal assistant. But there is generally no regular acting, only some symbolic representations of episodes of the story. For example, Lakhindar’s death and his return to life are represented respectively by placing the whisk on the ground and then lifting it up. However, in the Marai-gan performances of south Goalpara, such dramatic representations are much more realistic and elaborate. For example, the return of the merchant Chando to his home after the disaster of his fleet is enacted, most vividly. A man made up as Chando with jute hair and beard appears on the stage. There ensures a scene in which the Deodhani takes up the role of Saneka. The discomfiture of Chando, who is most shabbily treated by Saneka as she fails to recognise him, provide much amusement to the audience. (T.C.Khakhlari) In some south Goalpara Marai performances, again, the Deodhani also gives mimetic representation of such things as a bird building her nest, laying her eggs, and so on. Some dramatic elements are also to be found in the Kati Puja rituals as mimetic acting also forms an important part of them. (Barua N. , Prantabasir Jhuli, 1954) For example, in that part of the rituals known as Kati-sijjan (birth of Kati), the young wife who offers the puja impersonates Kati’s mother. A pair of bananas and a pair each of areca nuts and betel leaves are made into a bundle with a piece of cloth and placed in her lap. The bundle is supposed to represent the foetus. The growth of the foetus from mouth to mouth is represented by the tying of a loose knot for each month, and the delivery of the baby by the unfastening of all the knots together with a pull. The bringing of the midwife to help in the delivery of the child, the bringing of a barber for the ceremonial removal of uncleanliness etc. are all gone through with the progress of the songs narrating these acts. The most interesting dramatic sequence comes in the Ag newa part of the rituals during which the agricultural operation is enacted through mime. A woman dressed up as a man simulates ploughing with an imaginary plough, two small girls on all fours taking the place of bullocks are lifted by a tiger upon which the ‘villagers’ come in a large group with weapons and rescue the bullocks. After that the operations like ploughing, weeding etc. are gone through. Then comes the ceremonial reaping. The woman for whom the blessings of a son is being sought, kneels down before the puja platform and cuts a sheaf of corn, earlier planted there, amidst the auspicious sounds made by the woman. After this comes the stimulation of thrashing, winnowing, storing, etc. Sometimes even the selling of the grain is enacted. There appears ‘upcountry’ trader to whom the grain is sold after much haggling and haggling. Last of all comes the Badul Hana part in which the women imitate, with small specially made bows and arrows, the action of chasing bats that are supposed to represent the enemies of the crops.
By Semi-Dramatic Institution we mean Dramatic Material Incorporated in Some Religious and Ritualistic Performances. For example, Padmapuran or Marai performances have much in common with the important folk-drama form: there is a leading singer (Mul or Gital) who carries a whisk. There are a number of assistants (Pail or Paila) who provide both the choric support and the musical accompaniment. And there is also the provision of breaks (bhangti) for dramatic dialogues between the leader and the principal assistant. But there is generally no regular acting, only some symbolic representations of episodes of the story. For example, Lakhindar’s death and his return to life are represented respectively by placing the whisk on the ground and then lifting it up. However, in the Marai-gan performances of south Goalpara, such dramatic representations are much more realistic and elaborate. For example, the return of the merchant Chando to his home after the disaster of his fleet is enacted, most vividly. A man made up as Chando with jute hair and beard appears on the stage. There ensures a scene in which the Deodhani takes up the role of Saneka. The discomfiture of Chando, who is most shabbily treated by Saneka as she fails to recognise him, provide much amusement to the audience. (T.C.Khakhlari) In some south Goalpara Marai performances, again, the Deodhani also gives mimetic representation of such things as a bird building her nest, laying her eggs, and so on. Some dramatic elements are also to be found in the Kati Puja rituals as mimetic acting also forms an important part of them. (Barua N. , Prantabasir Jhuli, 1954) For example, in that part of the rituals known as Kati-sijjan (birth of Kati), the young wife who offers the puja impersonates Kati’s mother. A pair of bananas and a pair each of areca nuts and betel leaves are made into a bundle with a piece of cloth and placed in her lap. The bundle is supposed to represent the foetus. The growth of the foetus from mouth to mouth is represented by the tying of a loose knot for each month, and the delivery of the baby by the unfastening of all the knots together with a pull. The bringing of the midwife to help in the delivery of the child, the bringing of a barber for the ceremonial removal of uncleanliness etc. are all gone through with the progress of the songs narrating these acts. The most interesting dramatic sequence comes in the Ag newa part of the rituals during which the agricultural operation is enacted through mime. A woman dressed up as a man simulates ploughing with an imaginary plough, two small girls on all fours taking the place of bullocks are lifted by a tiger upon which the ‘villagers’ come in a large group with weapons and rescue the bullocks. After that the operations like ploughing, weeding etc. are gone through. Then comes the ceremonial reaping. The woman for whom the blessings of a son is being sought, kneels down before the puja platform and cuts a sheaf of corn, earlier planted there, amidst the auspicious sounds made by the woman. After this comes the stimulation of thrashing, winnowing, storing, etc. Sometimes even the selling of the grain is enacted. There appears ‘upcountry’ trader to whom the grain is sold after much haggling and haggling. Last of all comes the Badul Hana part in which the women imitate, with small specially made bows and arrows, the action of chasing bats that are supposed to represent the enemies of the crops.
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