The cultural heritage of Bengal is eminent to the World. The hierarchy of musical culture and artistic diversity remain all over India.
“Nana Bhasa, Nana Mot, Nana Paridhan;
Bibhider Majhe Dekho Milano Mohan”
– Atul Prasad Sen
These lines form Bengali composer, and poet Atul Prasad Sen means that despite the diversity of languages, opinions, and tradition, there is a unity that makes India incredibly majestic. Here in this blog, we are going to elaborate on Folk dance, especially Baul and Dhali and the intangible heritage of traditional folk dance in West Bengal.
The Folk Dance of West Bengal
The Folk Dances of Bengal (1941) by Gurusaday Dutt is one of the treasures for gathering info about the rich culture of Folk and its revolution. The folk dances can be categorized into different types such as – War motive, Play motive, Ceremonial celebration motive, Social ceremony motive, Self-enjoyment motive, Representational and Interpretative motive, Spiritual motive etc.
The origin of Lokogeti is not precisely known as it evolves through the ordinary people of Bengal and social elements. It is assumed that the dances are performed before the early 15th century.
A Quick Overview on Folk Culture in West Bengal
The folk songs in Bengal are written in regional dialect and generally sung by groups of Sufis and Sahaja (In Bengal, they are termed as Baul). There are no such practices for this dance genre; instead, it’s pass through the ancestral legacy.
One can’t resist banging their head as well as shaking their body with that Sufi soothing rhythm and beats. Most songs express spirituality, social culture, lifestyle, and love that connect the audience to the almighty.
There are nine popular folk dances in Bengal –Baul dance, Brita dance, Bhadu dance, Chhau dance, Dhali dance, Gambhira dance, Lathi dance, Santhal dance, Tusu dance. Folk songs are generally practiced by the tribal or traditional folks; that’s why it’s called Lokogeti.
Some of the famous composers and writers of folk songs in Bengal are – Bijoy Sarkar, Shyama Prasad Sen, Purna Das Baul, Manasi Paul, Sachin Dev Barman, Anup Ghosal, Swapna Chakroborty, Radharaman Dutta, Arka Mukherjee, Satyaki Banerjee, Kartick Das Baul, Prabhaty Baul, Ratan Kahar etc.
List of West Bengal Folk Dances
- Baul
- Dhali
- Gambhira
- Jatra
- Kathi
- Keertan
- Mahal
- Marasia