Traditions in a Lighter Vein: Gambhira and Alkap

A remarkable feature of Bangladesh lies in its forms of creativity that since long has been inspiring awe to the global population; apart from literature and traditional Bengali music, there are also two folk forms that circles around lighthearted teasing repartees, folk songs and dances representing crude fun and jokes. An olde worlde regional dialect being the prime aspect, it is the same that bars the forms from being exposed to the global cultural community, for what is conveyed through the rural Bangla dialect loses most of its charm if translated in any other language. But it’s definitely an experience to watch the Gambhira and Alkap performances and with keen observation of the body languages of the performers, a lot of the conveyed messages can be comprehended.

A clash with the reality and the absurdity of the various facets of the rural life being the central point, both the forms give more emphasis to expressions to extract the real flavor; in the modern times, the former subjects have been replaced by many of the contemporary problems that have had impact on the rural society. Gambhira thus has themes that address the entire society (sometimes even the state); to cite an example, a popular topic for Gambhira nowadays is the bludgeoning media culture that has opposed the traditional Bengali culture largely, whereas Alkap revolves around mostly within the confines of the family life and its problems that are created by the intruding urban culture.

The set-up for both Gambhira and Alkap are almost identical; it’s a typical set-up that comprises the orchestra arranged in a circle at the center of the stage. But modernization has replaced the traditional orchestra for a large number of such groups; instead of the harmonium, flutes, percussions and the 'tabla', electronic keyboards and electronic modular rhythm instruments show up frequently, though vocals still remain an intricate part of it. Characterized by sharp and witty rural dialogues, songs and dances, both Gambhira and Alkap is admired for their innate, insightful sarcasms and auditory charm that is impossible to grasp if one is not a part of the aashor or the group of the audience.

For Bengali translation by native translator contact www.indianscripts.com

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