Bhand Pather Dance

The main theme of Bhands could be visualized from the active folk form which is obtained from the various age old folk forms as well as the typical Sanskrit theatre of India. However, with the passage of time various features have been vanished and dramatic changes have taken place in others. The plays which are played in the Bhands are known as Pather and the meaning of the word is dramatic character. Bhand originates from a realistic and satirical drama or the bhanna, which is usually a monologue included in Bharata’s Natya Shastra. Although Bhand Pather is not considered as monologue, however, it is a type of social drama consisting of social satire and mythological legends. After tenth century number of foreign invasion took place in the J&K valley and as a result many disturbances had taken place in the social fibre for which Kashmiri people became slave in their own motherland. They had to live and adapt with alien socio-political, religious and cultural systems. A reflection of this cross exchange can be found in the J&K valley folk tradition. The anguishes of the people could be found in the plays in humorous or absurd form. The character of the king within Darza Pather or the royal soldiers within Shikargah speaking in Persian language with the illiterate and poor Kashmiri take the resort of whipping when they fail to understand their language. Big puppets using masks portray the characters of the witch or the king in the Gosain Pather which is regarding Saivites of Kashmir and Shiva to show the oppressive nature. All these plays ultimately make the local character victorious in conclusion.

Music

With the tune of a particular mukam and the orchestra consisting of dhol, nagara, swarnai and the thalij the Bhands dance. The swarnai is very bigger in size in comparison to the shehnai having a metallic and strong sound which has a great impact when played in the open space. This instrument has the capability of attracting local people from the nearby areas. It is a very special kind of wind instrument which consists of three parts. The first part is the wooden pipe or the nai prepared by carpenters having special skills, the second part is the barg which is made from a special type of grass procured locally and the third part is a copper disc where the barg is attached. Before playing for the first time the swarnai player usually makes an offering in the dargah.  Every Bhand Pather has its own composition which is known as mukam. The music continues with a set kind of pattern like salaam, dubitch, thurau, salgah and the nau patti. The music is performed with the codified and intricate patterns of sufiyana kalaam which is based upon the classical mould. The central figure in the orchestra is the person who operates the dhol. Various taals in many combinations are being played on this dhol, however, very few persons are found in this job nowadays. The dhol is accompanied by nagara which helps the rhythm to double in intensity when activated. Number of nagara is utilized while performing to make the sound impact of the instrument perfect. The thalij is a kind of metal cymbal which is a little bigger in comparison to other type of musical instruments.

Dance

A short bamboo stick and a whip are the two things must for each pather. The long whip or the koodar is made from the stem of the plant (bhang) and appears like a fat rope that is forked to its tip. While using, it creates a sound that resembles to gunshot. At the time of performance, whipping of a character can be done number of times without making any injury since this has not the property as a whip possesses, however, it appears deadly. It is utilized to change all the essentials which show oppression into vivid dramatic images. The bans on the contrary are utilized by the maskhara or jester. Split sticks of bamboo are being utilized to create a sharp sound.

Reaching J&K

Numbers of routes are available there so as to reach J&K valley from other places of India. In the event you opt for the road route then the National Highway 1A would help you to reach Kashmir valleys. Availability of trains is there also from all big railway stations of India in case you prefer to travel by train. Likewise, air flights are available also from main cities of India to link with domestic airports at Jammu and Leh.

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