Art and culture

2021-08-14 08:46:50 Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India


The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru constitutes the traditional technique of manufacturing brass and copper utensils in Punjab.

The metals used – copper, brass and certain alloys – are believed to be beneficial for health.

The process begins with procuring cooled cakes of metal that are flattened into thin plates and then hammered into curved shapes, creating the required small bowls, rimmed plates, to larger pots for water and milk, huge cooking vessels and other artefacts.

Heating the plates while hammering and curving them into different shapes requires careful temperature control, which is achieved by using tiny wood-fired stoves (aided by hand-held bellows) buried in the earth.

Utensils are manually finished by polishing with traditional materials such as sand and tamarind juice. Designs are made by skilfully hammering a series of tiny dents into the heated metal.

Utensils may be manufactured for ritual or utilitarian purposes, both for individual and community use on special occasions such as weddings or at temples.

The process of manufacturing is transmitted orally from father to son. Metalwork is not simply a form of livelihood for Thatheras, but it defines their family and kinship structure, work ethic and status within the social hierarchy of the town. Open / Comment

2021-08-14 08:44:52 Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur

Sankirtana encompasses an array of arts performed to mark religious occasions and various stages in the life of the Vaishnava people of the Manipur plains.


Sankirtana practices centre on the temple, where performers narrate the lives and deeds of Krishna through song and dance.

In a typical performance, two drummers and about ten singer-dancers perform in a hall or domestic courtyard encircled by seated devotees.

The dignity and flow of aesthetic and religious energy is unparalleled, moving audience members to tears and frequently to prostrate themselves before the performers.


Sankirtana has two main social functions: it brings people together on festive occasions throughout the year, acting as a cohesive force within Manipur’s Vaishnava community; and it establishes and reinforces relationships between the individual and the community through life-cycle ceremonies.


It is thus regarded as the visible manifestation of God. The Sankirtana of Manipur is a vibrant practice promoting an organic relationship with people: the whole society is involved in its safeguarding, with the specific knowledge and skills traditionally transmitted from mentor to disciple.

Sankirtana works in harmony with the natural world, whose presence is acknowledged through its many rituals Open / Comment

2021-08-14 08:41:23 Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India

In the monasteries and villages of the Ladakh region, Buddhist lamas (priests) chant sacred texts representing the spirit, philosophy and teachings of the Buddha.

Two forms of Buddhism are practised in Ladakh – Mahayana and Vajrayana – and there are four major sects, namely Nyngma, Kagyud, Shakya and Geluk.


Each sect has several forms of chanting, practised during life-cycle rituals and on important days in the Buddhist and agrarian calendars.

Chanting is undertaken for the spiritual and moral well-being of the people, for purification and peace of mind, to appease the wrath of evil spirits or to invoke the blessing of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, deities and rinpoches.

The chanting is performed in groups, either sitting indoors or accompanied by dance in monastery courtyards or private houses.


The monks wear special costumes and make hand gestures (mudras) representing the divine Buddha, and instruments such as bells, drums, cymbals and trumpets lend musicality and rhythm to the chanting.

Acolytes are trained under the rigorous supervision of senior monks, reciting texts frequently until they are memorized.

Chants are practised everyday in the monastic assembly hall as a prayer to the deities for world peace, and for the personal growth of the practitioners. Open / Comment

2021-08-11 06:49:29 Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala

Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.

It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates. After the summer crops have been harvested, the villagers reach the temple in the early morning on an appointed day. Mudiyettu performers purify themselves through fasting and prayer, then draw a huge image of goddess Kali, called as kalam, on the temple floor with coloured powders, wherein the spirit of the goddess is invoked.

This prepares the ground for the lively enactment to follow, in which the divine sage Narada importunes Shiva to contain the demon Darika, who is immune to defeat by mortals.

Shiva instead commands that Darika will die at the hand of the goddess Kali.

Mudiyettu is performed annually in ‘Bhagavati Kavus’, the temples of the goddess, in different villages along the rivers Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar and Moovattupuzha.

Mutual cooperation and collective participation of each caste in the ritual instils and strengthens common identity and mutual bonding in the community.

Responsibility for its transmission lies with the elders and senior performers, who engage the younger generation as apprentices during the course of the performanc.

Mudiyettu serves as an important cultural site for transmission of traditional values, ethics, moral codes and aesthetic norms of the community to the next generation, thereby ensuring its continuity and relevance in present times. Open / Comment

2021-08-11 06:47:44 Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan

Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life.

Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways.

Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the khanjari percussion instrument and the poongi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes.

The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours.

The songs also demonstrate the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during performances.

Transmitted from generation to generation, the songs and dances form part of an oral tradition for which no texts or training manuals exist.

Song and dance are a matter of pride for the Kalbelia community, and a marker of their identity at a time when their traditional travelling lifestyle and role in rural society are diminishing.

They demonstrate their community’s attempt to revitalize its cultural heritage and adapt it to changing socioeconomic conditions. Open / Comment

2021-08-11 06:46:11 Chhau dance

Chhau dance is a tradition from eastern India that enacts episodes from epics including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, local folklore and abstract themes.

Its three distinct styles hail from the regions of Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj, the first two using masks.

Chhau dance is intimately connected to regional festivals, notably the spring festival Chaitra Parva.

Its origin is traceable to indigenous forms of dance and martial practices.

Its vocabulary of movement includes mock combat techniques, stylized gaits of birds and animals and movements modelled on the chores of village housewives. Chhau is taught to male dancers from families of traditional artists or from local communities.

The dance is performed at night in an open space to traditional and folk melodies, played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai. 

The reverberating drumbeats of a variety of drums dominate the accompanying music ensemble. Chhau is an integral part of the culture of these communities.

It binds together people from different social strata and ethnic background with diverse social practices, beliefs, professions and languages.

However, increasing industrialization, economic pressures and new media are leading to a decrease in collective participation with communities becoming disconnected from their roots Open / Comment

2021-08-07 08:11:14 current affairs - read more about ABANINDRANATH TAGORE Open / Comment

2021-08-07 04:19:20 Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India



Every year in late April, the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra in the state of Uttarakhand (northern India) are marked by Ramman, a religious festival in honour of the tutelary god, Bhumiyal Devta, a local divinity whose temple houses most of the festivities.

This event is made up of highly complex rituals: the recitation of a version of the epic of Rama and various legends, and the performance of songs and masked dances.

The festival is organized by villagers, and each caste and occupational group has a distinct role. For example, youth and the elders perform, the Brahmans lead the prayers and perform the rituals, and the Bhandaris – representing locals of the Kshatriya caste – are alone entitled to wear one of the most sacred masks, that of the half-man, half-lion Hindu deity, Narasimha.

The family that hosts Bhumiyal Devta during the year must adhere to a strict daily routine.

Combining theatre, music, historical reconstructions, and traditional oral and written tales, the Ramman is a multiform cultural event that reflects the environmental, spiritual and cultural concept of the community, recounting its founding myths and strengthening its sense of self-worth.

In order to ensure that it remains viable, the community’s priorities are to promote its transmission and to obtain its recognition beyond the geographical area in which it is practised. Open / Comment

2021-08-07 04:17:01 Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana

Ramlila, literally “Rama’s play”, is a performance of then Ramayana epic in a series of scenes that include song, narration, recital and dialogue.

It is performed across northern India during the festival of Dussehra, held each year according to the ritual calendar in autumn.

The most representative Ramlilas are those of Ayodhya, Ramnagar and Benares, Vrindavan, Almora, Sattna and Madhubani Open / Comment