Men dressed in colourful tribal gear get ready to start the war dance at the inauguration of a training programme by Sangeet Natak Akademi. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Potka (East Singhbhum), Dec. 6: It was with a sense of relief that tribals today let go of a few age-old traditions of Firkal, the martial tribal dance of the Bhumij tribe.

Today onwards, the traditional training ground of Firkal, the cremation ground of the locality, will be replaced by the akhara situated on the outskirts of the village.

The age-old practice of rehearsing and imparting training to the next generation about the dance during the month before Sankranti festival at the cremation ground was also done away with from today.

These changes were not done with a heavy heart, but on the contrary, with joy by the tribals, on the adoption of Firkal by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) for revival of the dance.

Firkal had reached the verge of extinction because of urbanisation and the government?s indifference to preserve tribal culture.

The SNA, the apex body for the promotion and preservation of dance and drama in the country, decided to adopt Firkal in the last week of November.

This is the second dance form of tribal from Jharkhand after Seraikella Chhau to be adopted by the akademi.

The year-long training programme sponsored by the SNA, under the guidance of Firkal guru Laxman Sarda, was inaugurated by the state culture secretary N.N. Sinha at the akhara of Janumdih village in Potka Block.

Local JMM MLA, Amulya Sardar, was also present on the occasion.

Laxman Sardar, who will conduct the training programme for SNA, revealed that Firkal is performed exclusively by the male of the Bhumij tribe to depict valour.

It depicts the heroics of a war and how warriors saved their clan and homeland.

The dance is performed by male members of the tribe to show their valour during hunting wild animals. It also serves to arouse a sense of male valour in others.

The Firkal guru revealed that traditionally the place for learning and practising Firkal is the local cremation ground.

?Firkal was learnt and practised at cremation grounds because it is a show of valour and we feel that the blessing of ancestors is necessary for this. The timing for rehearsal was at night after sunset and before sunrise, so there is no disturbance,? he said.

?Another important element of the dance was that it was practised only once a year during the month before Sankranti festival from December 14 to January 14,? he added.

?Now, when the SNA came forward to support the dance in its revival by giving scholarships, we readily accepted their proposal for continuous round the year training programme. We decided to adopt a new timing and place so that the dance is at least revived,? added Laxman Sardar.

Local coordinator of SNA Amitav Ghosh, revealed that for the first year, the akademi has decided to give scholarship to 10 artistes including the guru.

Ghosh said the initiative taken by the akademi will also give an international platform to Firkal.