Sandesh Bhandare has written a coffee table book on Tamasha-Ek Rangadi Gammat giving photographic account of Tamasha — the folk-art of Maharashtra. Every region has its own version of Tamasha — Tamasha from Konkan, Tamasha under the tree, Tamasha on stage etc. The presentation and the season of the different tamashas is different. Tamasha entertains the peasants of the rural areas. A tamasha troupe has artistes, instrumentalists, cooks ,stage designers, porters. They travel in a vehicle. On reaching the destination, they start unloading. They start searching drinking water. Some attend the call of nature. They start bathing, washing clothes, drying them. They apply for police permission. Some start erecting a pandal. The stage is made of wooden planks. Electricians, workers, tailors all contribute to the management. They finish the lunch by 4.00/4.30 p.m. Artists then take rest. Others give finishing touches to the work. Artistes wake up by seven in the evening. They start putting rogue on the face. Instrumentalists set the instruments. Female artistes check up with make up, jewellery and hair-style. All this continues up to 9 o’clock. When the crowd assembles, the curtain is raised. The show starts with dholki tappings. It creates the ambience. They are usually dressed in gold-bordered nine-yard saris with their hair tied up into flower-adorned buns. Even spectators get the zing. The dholki player’s fingers get bruised. The tamasha continues till 4 in the morning.In the small hours of the morning, they take the dinner. The vehicle drivers who were asleep during the progress of the tamasha get up. The planks are adjusted in the vehicle to make room for sleeping. They start loading the luggage. The troupe moves out, and heads for another destination.
In smaller troupes, an individual has to do multiple tasks. There are problems in getting permission. They have to face the rowdy crowd. They have to ensure traffic. They are not given respect in the society. Tamasha is cosmopolitan. But the troupe is treated as if they are untouchables. The women are thought of as individuals with easy virtue. They are given water by pouring it from above to avoid touching them. The tamasha artistes are a distressed lot, though they entertain the rural society. Many generations have remained devoted to tamasha.What about the future of their progeny? The book has been published by Lokvangmaya Griha, Mumbai.
Recently, Dr. Kishor Shantabai Kale succumbed to brain injuries on account of a road accident. His biography Kolhatyache Por ( 1994 ) brought to light the lives of the Kolhati community of Tamasha dancers from Western Maharashtra . Most of the artistes are landless labourers, usually from lower castes from villages in Maharashtra. They are indebted to village money-lenders. The commission for a single performance is anywhere between Rs. 8,000-Rs. 10,000 for the entire group, but goes up at times to Rs. 40,000-Rs. 1 lakh, depending upon the popularity of the troupe. The artistes do not perform throughout the year but only on festive occasions or auspicious days at village fairs or private functions. The Hindu month Chaitra is good for business. The Maharashtra State government holds a tamasha festival now, and proposes to elevate tamasha to the status of folk art. The government proposes an economic package for the artistes. In Maharashtra there are 15 big companies and 150 smaller companies. Tamasha is their livelihood. Tamasha is recognised by Dholkicha phad and sangeet bari. It travels across the length and breadh of Maharashtra for seven months — October to May.Each company has 50-60 artistes — 15 female dancers and singers and 35 male artistes and accompanists. There are around 130 travelling Tamasha troupes that perform seasonally and approximately 15 full-time troupes that perform all throughout the year.
The recent Marathi movie Natrang starring Atul Kulkarni captures Tamasha on the silver screen. To begin with, Marathi cinema thrived on lavani. Between 1960 and1975, Sulochna Chawan has sung some unforgettable lavnis.As Cinema embraced modern themes, lavni was pushed aside. Yamunabai Warkar could cast a spell on the audience in her live performances in he 1950s.Tamasha includes play, song and aaradhana, apart from lavni. Lavni is a dance that combines nritya, adakari and sangeet.Etymologically, lavni comes from the Sanskrit lavanya meaning beauty. It has been left to survive on erotic strain now — the erotic lyrics have several layers and the dance movements are seductive. It was used to entertain the Mughal armies.It explains the influence of Kathak on lavni. The Peshwas in the 18th century patronised it. It catalysed the fall of the Maratha empire in 1818. Lavni for the classes was erotic and seductive. It was sangeet bari. Lavni for the masses continued with the travelling Tamasha troupes.
After the fall of the Maratha empire, lavni moved to private kothas in Marathwada and Pune and lavni lost its respectability.Cinema also tarnished its image further. Artists were portrayed as women of easy virtue who corrupted the feudal power centres or village Patils. Lavni which was a folk art degenerated into plain titillation to senses.Even otherwise, the other genres of entertainment provide tough competition to lavni.
Shahirs are the ballad poets who compose some of the most versatile lavnis full of everyday humour and wit.Some well-known shahirs are Honaji Bala, Parshuram and Pattthe Baburao.
Vijay Chavan, son of Sulochna Chawan plays dholki in Natrang. Dancers are now drawn from all communities and are not restricted to the nomadic Kolhati and Dombari tribes.
The readers can also go through the book Dancing Maidens : The Seduction Called Lavni.