Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra

Feb. 12: A 150-year-old concoction of dance, acrobatics and dhol beats entertained Guwahatians today, in the concluding session of the Lok Rang, a two-day festival of traditional music, dance and theatre of the Northeast.

The Bakori Mancha at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, which has been hosting the event, came alive with a heady mix of aag dhol and guri dhol, taal and clarinet.

The audience watched fascinated as the Haridev Kamrupia Dhuliya Dal of Kaihati took the stage for this unique performance at the festival, organised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Northeast Centre.

After this 150-year-old mix of dance, dhol and acrobatics, performed at the Kaihati Xattra of Nalbari, girls took the stage for a Hozagiri performance.

The girls, wearing rignai and richa (traditional costume) and bedecked with rangbak (necklace), delicately held plates in both hands balancing lamps on them and danced in the accompaniment of kham (dhol), sumui (flute) and sorta (taal).

“This is a traditional dance form of the Reang tribe of Tripura during Lakshmi Puja, praying for good harvest and peace and prosperity. Women perform this dance. However, this time, we have trained the young girls to preserve this art form, fearing that it may become obsolete,” Madhabi Singh, co-ordinator of Sangeet Natak Akademi of Tripura, said.

The Aji Lamu of Arunachal Pradesh followed this performance, which is a dance form of the Monyaul community. A kind of spiritual dance, it is performed on the occasion of Losar festival during New Year.

It was riots of colours on stage, as the dancers trooped in wearing colourful costumes of goowho and rowga (ornaments for neck) and chala, moga and chuuthang.

With the slow foot-tapping on the music of pung (dhol), kortal (taal) and moibung (conch shell) a group performed Nata Raga followed by Dwital Ghat and Ektal from Ariba Pala of Manipur.

The sankirtana, performed during the reign of Maharaj Garibaniwaj, is known as Ariba Pala.

This gave shape to Nata Sankirtana (sankirtana on Krishna), which was developed during the reign of Rajashri Bhagachandra of Manipur.

“Though the Nata Sankirtana is performed of late in Manipur, the Ariba Pala is now on the brink of extinction and this is an effort of the Sangeet Natak Akademi to preserve it,” Adhikarimayum Radhamanbi Devi, said.

The festival culminated with the Bhari gaan of the Rabha community of Assam.

“The festival was a wonderful execution of the art forms of the entire region. Most of the art forms are on the brink of extinction and it was an effort of the Sangeet Natak Akademi to revive and preserve these performing arts,” Dulal Roy, director of the Northeast centre of the Akademi, said.