Chhattisgarh's kaleidoscope of culture

At approximately 5:15pm, a chopper flew over Sirpur's 1,400-year-old Laxman temple. Moments later, armed guards and men in black safari suits ushered in Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh. The seven folk dancers on stage – with the temple in the backdrop – continued performing as special guests and others from the state government thronged the chief minister and blocked the view for several minutes.
This, and obligatory sarkari speeches on day one of the Sirpur National Dance and Music Festival 2015 on January 16 were the only impediments in an otherwise impressive showcase of Chhattisgarh's cultural heritage. Grammy Award-winning percussionist Pete Lockett, santoor maestro Rahul Sharma, singer Anuradha Paudwal and Kathak legend Pandit Birju Maharaj were the main draws, but it was the virtually-unknown tribal and folk performers who underlined what the gala was about.

The seven artistes whose 15-minute act served as curtain raiser for the event performed Dewar Geet — Chhattisgarhi songs extolling the deeds of folk heroes. A melange of singing, dancing and playacting, Dewar Geet is a staple of the Dewar sect of Central India's largest tribe — the Gonds. The Dewars — most of them professional musicians — worship Maha Mai (the Great Mother, also known as the 'plague/smallpox goddess') and Duladeo (a form of Shiva) and observe unique customs like widow remarriage, divorce and burial of their dead.

Following the Dewar Geet show was Sampariya & Group, who performed Danda Nritya — a stick dance celebrating Chaitra Parva or the arrival of spring. Reminiscent of Gujarat's Dandiya Raas and Orissa's Danda Nata, Danda Nritya usually has eight artistes (including a vocalist) in bright attire and flower-laden headgear dancing in pairs to a live orchestra.

Taal Chhattisgarh took centrestage as the day gave way to night and temperatures hovered at a cold 13 degrees Celsius. The ensemble of 50 tribal percussionists, ghatam musician Giridhar Udupa, tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee, bhapang maestro Umar Faruq and kanjira virtuoso Swaminathan accompanied Pete Lockett through a 45-minute display of masterful percussion. This was fusion at its best.

Wrapping up day one of the festival were performances by Kathak dancer Yasmin Singh of the Rajgadh gharana and abhangs by Shounak Abhisheki and Asha Khadilkar.

If the inaugural day of the event was something to behold, day two and day three weren't far behind. The standout of the second day was 'Milap', where santoor maestro Rahul Sharma and accompanying Rajasthani folk musicians drew rapturous applause from audience members — many of whom stood up on their seats and called for an encore. One memorable performance gave way to another with Japanese Taiko drumming and Odissi dance by Purnashree Raut and Lucky Mohanty beckoning people from nearby snack stalls to come rushing back to their seats.

Padma Vibhushan awardee and Kathak heavyweight Pandit Birju Maharaj, 76, and 'Vishnamo', a get-together of Vidwan Vikku Vinayakram (ghatam), Ustad Shujaat Khan (sitar), Prasanna (guitar) and American saxophonist George Brooks left delegates spellbound on the concluding day. Equally noteworthy, however, were the local artistes who reminded us why the region's bountiful folk art deserves a more prominent place on the map. From the Satnami tribals' Panthi Nritya where dancers move to the beats of the jhanjh and mandar to the timki (a waist-bound musical instrument played by sticks) and gudum baja-centric form of Saila Nritya, there wasn't much left to be desired for folk music enthusiasts.

Sirpur, located some 83 kilometres from the state capital Raipur, doesn't even figure as one of Chhattisgarh's major cities. Outsiders here have just one place to stay — the Hiuen Tsang Tourist Resort. Transportation is limited to private tour operator vehicles. But note the smorgasbord of ancient Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples, sal tree forests and its location along the banks of the mighty Mahanadi, and one can see why the town with a population of just around 2,000 is a fitting host for a cultural extravaganza of this kind.