- Date
- Saturday, September 22, 2018 (16:00-18:00)
- Venue
- Science Hall, FUKUOKA CITY SCIENCE MUSEUM 6F（External link）
- Speaker
- MURAYAMA Kazuyuki(Faculty of Policy Studies Lecturer in Hindi & Urdu)
- Speaker
- OKITA Mizuho(Part time lecturer of Chuo University)
- Coordinator
- KOISO Chihiro(Associate Professor of the Faculty of Liberal Art, Kanazawa Seiryo University)
The Mahabharata, is a story of a war fiercely fought in the northern Indian plain around 1000 BC between two groups of princes who were cousins. Dr. Teejan Bai is a leading performing artist and a contemporary exponent of the traditional artistic form of Pandavani. When she sings Pandavani lively with her accompanists, it will create a presence as if we are witnessing a battle of princes.
Although she has suffered doubly in Indian society from prejudice, both as a woman and as a member of a tribal society, with her rare artistic gift and powerful determination she has kept singing. Her success has given courage and encouragement to women and those suffering from repression.
Part 1 Talk
Surpassing National Boundaries to Bring the Glory of the Mahabharata to All
Mr. MURAYAMA explained that Pandavani is a performance in song of famous scenes from the Indian national epic, the Mahabharata. The art is centered in Chhattisgarh, India, and sung in Chhattisgarhi, a dialect of Hindi. It has been handed down as a folk performing art in India, similar to the Japanese Naniwa-bushi, he continued. He introduced the three-stringed tambura instrument played by Dr. Teejan Bai, revealing that three gods are said to reside within it, and that the instrument itself is used to present a variety of objects such as a bow, a club, and even a torn-off arm! As it is not a religious rite, it can be performed freely anywhere.
Ms. OKITA introduced the world of the Mahabharata, which spans over 100,000 couplets across 18 volumes. It describes the great succession war of the Bharata, featuring the five sons of the king as the heroes, along with a hundred of their cousins. They are linked to gods through avatars, and the relationships of the gods and heroes sway the story.
The Mahabharata is not a heroic epic with a happy ending, as almost all of the warriors that appear die, and even the main characters cannot escape their sins and deaths, even though they are the children of gods. As a myth, it has significant depth.
Part 2 Performance
The second part was a Pandavani performance by Dr. Teejan Bai. She sang as if possessed, lifting her voice to the accompaniment of the three-stringed tambura she held, and captivated the audience. As the suitors competed for the hand of the princess (Draupadi’s Swayamvara) she held the “bow” in her hand to brilliantly portray shooting the eye out of a fish in an aquarium, using only the fish’s shadow as a guide. She followed with a horrifying depiction of the death of Dushasana, as she smeared blood on and tied her hair. Her exchanges with the musicians were also fascinating, and onlookers were unable to pull their eyes away for the entire performance.
- Performance
- Draupadi’s Swayamvara
The Death of Dushasana
- Performers
- Teejan Bai / Pandavani performer
Keval PRASAD / Tabla 〔drum〕
Manharan Sarva / Dafli 〔tambourine〕
Ramchand NISHAD / vocals, Manjeera 〔cymbals〕
Chait Ram SAHU / Harmonium 〔a type of organ〕
Narottam NETAM / Dholak 〔double-headed drum〕