REPORTS / MEMIOGRAPH

Traditional Dance Drama Forms of Indian Himalaya: Textural, Cultural and Musical Documentation, Dr. Manorama Sharma

The difficult hill topography of Himachal Pradesh has influenced the basic human emotions and sentiments, akin to their typical socio-cultural identity. The rhythms, rhymes and melody of different folk songs, dances and dramas, are distinctively slow at the higher altitude and faster in the lower regions. Apparently, in difficult hill terrains fast movements are not possible. Even life here goes very slow, aiming at preservation of energy and retention of enthusiasm without getting tired. Despite the fact that the dances of the hill-folks are relatively slow, their songs are very lively and their expressions are extremely original. The folk music of Himachal Pradesh is reflective of its rich cultural heritage. It has been greatly concerned with the society to which it has ever remained committed. Its conception of man, with all his typicality, is a concept which promises the existence of man, a respectable position against all diversities. No wonder then that the people living in such natural beauty with a rich artistic history should continue to express themselves through music and dance. The songs accompanying the dances are very rhythmic and their wordings are meaningful in that they encourage the people to work hard. They also provide entertainment after the day's hard and tedious work. Each region of Himachal Pradesh has its own typical dances and dance songs which reflect the peculiar culture of that area. This project aims at the documentation of the traditional dance- drama forms in multi- media dimensions. The study includes the various aspects of cultural life of the hill people of the Himalayas with special reference to their dance- drama forms. In this study, an attempt has been made to highlight some of the distinct features of those dance-drama forms that have a rich tradition of Indian classical theatrical art but are now on the verge of extinction or are the lesser known forms. These theatrical dance-drama forms are the oldest traditional forms of theatre Himachal Pradesh. These had their hay day when there was no cinema or television and no modern theatre. A deep probe into their existence and development reveals a kaleidoscopic picture that as long as they enjoy some kind of patronage these theatrical forms keep growing and changing and can inspire the masses.

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