Kobi Gaan | |
---|---|
Native name | কবি গান |
Stylistic origins | Bengali folk song |
Cultural origins | British India |
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Bengal |
---|
History |
Cuisine |
Music of West Bengal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Specific forms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Media and performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kavigan, Kobi Gaan, Kobi Lorai or Kabigan (Bengali : কবিগান) is a form of Bengali folk performance wherein folk poets sing and perform. A verbal duel among the poets, this mystic minstrels art was popular with rural folk form in nineteenth century in Bengal region, which includes the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. [1] [2] [ failed verification ]. The mythological themes from both Hindu and Muslims religious texts were commonly used for Kobi Gaan. ContentsFormKavigan is normally sung by two groups. Each group is led by a kaviyal or sarkar. The accompanying singers called dohars often repeat what the leader said. [3] A kavigan programme starts with bandana (evocation) or gurudever geet (song of the sect patron). The bandana can be directed to or be in praise of Saraswati, Ganesh, people, and the audience, as deemed fit by a particularkaviyal. This is followed by Radha–Krishna related song, some call it agamani. Then songs on four subjects are sung: sakhi sambad, biraha, lahar and kheur. Sakhi sambad deals with the love-songs related to Radha-Krishna. Biraha is about the mortal pang of separation of common human beings. Kheur is mainly about gods and goddesses, but often includes mild slangs. Finally, the competitive part starts. It mainly consists of the Lahar, where the competitors personally attack each other, musico-verbally. [1] In kavigan, also referred to as kabir larai, two person who are lyricist plus composer at the same time answer each other in form of songs. [4] HistoryIn his Banglar Kavigan, Sajani Kanta Das said, "Kavigan was born out of a synthesis of various art forms prevalent in different parts of Bengal at different times having peculiar names such as tarja, panchali, kheur, akhrai, half akhrai, full akhrai, danra kavigan, basa kavigan, dhap kirtan, tappa, Krishna jatra, tukkagiti etc." [1] Various literary researchers such as Ishwar Chandra Gupta and Dr. Harekrishna Mukhopadhyay have dwelt at length on the origins and development of kavigan. [1] Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey opines, "The existence of kabi songs may be traced to the beginning of the 18th century or even beyond it to the 17th; but the flourishing period of the Kabiwalas was between 1760 and 1830." [1] As the religious and ritualistic content in Bengali poetry wore out there was a tendency to break away from the traditional Vaishnava poetry but the real breakthrough came only with the introduction of the printing press in mid–18th century. From the close of the 18th century for more than half a century the new kavi–poetry and panchali reigned supreme in the Kolkata region and almost threatened to sweep everything else in literature. [5] However, while Kavigan lost its supremacy in Kolkata, it retained its position in rural Bengal. [1]
Banglapedia [6] Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey has a word of praise for the kaviyals, "These poets were, no doubt, born among the people (lowest classes), lived with the people and understood perfectly their ways of thinking and feeling; hence their direct hold upon the masses of whom many a modern writer is contentedly ignorant." [1] Kobigaan was a debating contest between two minstrels (Kobiaal | the poets of the Kobigaan genre) and their troupes (Dohars) in Verse with some traditional musical instruments of Bengal. The mythological themes as well as the erotic themes were used. When mythological themes was used in Kobigaan, that was called Torja, this Torja was an old and traditional Kobi Gaan. The Kheyur was the second type Kobi Gaan in which erotic themes like Radha and Krishna were used as metaphorically. The originated of the Kheyur was Krishnanagar under the patronage of Raja Krishna Chandra of Nadia District. The Dhaak, Harmonium, Kansi, Mandira and drum were the main musical instrument used in Kobi Gaan. The Kobi Gaan is still performed in villages of Bengal with a small scale. [3] KaviyalsA number of kaviyals attained popularity and fame. In Birbhum district alone there were about three hundred kaviyal from the 18th–20th century. Amongst the earliest were Lokokabi Lambodar Chakroborty, Gonjla Guin, born in the 18th century and his contemporaries: Lalu–Nandalal, Raghu and Ramji. The famous 19th century kaviyals of Kolkata were Haru Thakur, Nitai Vairagi, Ram Basu, Bhola Maira, and Anthony Firinghee. [3] [1] Some of kaviyals in other parts of Bengal were Balahari Roy (1743–1849), Sambhunath Mondal (1773–1833), Tarakchandra Sarker (1845–1914), Haricharan Acharya (1861–1941), Ramesh Chandra Shil (1877–1967), Rajendranath Sarkar (1892–1974), Bijaykrishna Adhikari (1903–1985), [3] [1] Nishikanto Raysarkar. Mukunda Das, more popular as a charan kavi, was also a kaviyal. [1] His character was featured in a popular Bengali film Balika Bodhu, wherein the songs of Mukunda Das inspired the rural masses during the independence movement, [7] Another famous kaviyal, Anthony Firingee, a Portuguese man, [8] was featured in a Bengali biographical film bearing his name, with Uttam Kumar portraying him. [9] Bhola Moira (19th century) kaviyal was a popular and entertaining singer who could keep his audience mesmerised. Realising the importance of popular entertainment, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar complimented Bhola Moira and said, "To awaken the society of Bengal, it is necessary to have orators like Ramgopal Ghosh, amusing men like Hutom Pyancha and folk singers like Bhola Moira". [6] Bhola Moira is a biographical film about him, made in 1977. [10] Related Research ArticlesThe music of Bangladesh spans a wide variety of styles. Bangladesh claims some of the most renowned singers, composers and producers in Asia. Music has served the purpose of documenting the lives of the people and was widely patronized by the rulers. It comprises a long tradition of religious and regular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Bengali poetry is a rich tradition of poetry in the Bengali language and has many different forms. Originating in Bengal, the history of Bengali poetry underwent three successive stages of development: poetry of the early age, the Medieval period and the age of modern poetry. All ages have seen different forms of poetry and poetical tradition. It reached the pinnacle during the Bengali Renaissance period although it has a rich tradition and has grown independent of the movement. Major Bengali Poets throughout the ages are Chandidas, Alaol, Ramprasad Sen, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Nabinchandra Sen, Rabindranath Tagore, Dwijendralal Ray, Satyendranath Dutta, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Jibanananda Das, Jasimuddin, Sukanta Battacharya, Al Mahmud. Bengali music comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of styles. The music of West Bengal includes multiple indigenous musical genres such as Baul, Ramprasadi, Bishnupuri Classical, Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Dwijendrageeti, Prabhat Samgiita, Agamani-Vijaya, Patua Sangeet, Gambhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, Bengali Rock. Chandidas was a medieval Bengali poet from India, or possibly more than one. He wrote over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in medieval Bengali. The poems of Chandidas with bhanita are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, Baḍu, Dvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also. It is not clear whether these bhanitas actually refer to the same person or not. It is assumed by some modern scholars that the poems which are current in the name of Chandidas are actually the works of at least four different Chandidas, who are distinguished from each other by their sobriquets found in the bhanitas. It is also assumed that the earliest of them was Ananta Baḍu Chandidas. His father Durgadas Bagchi, was a Bengali Brahmin of Varendra clan. Baḍu Chandidas has been more or less identified as a historical figure, born in the 14th century in a Bengali Brahmin family of a small Tehsil city named Nanoor in Birbhum district of the present-day West Bengal state and wrote the lyrical Srikrishna Kirtan. Bengali literature denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali has developed over the course of roughly 1,300 years. If the emergence of the Bengali literature supposes to date back to roughly 650 AD, the development of Bengali literature claims to be 1600 years old. The earliest extant work in Bengali literature is the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystic songs in Old Bengali dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The timeline of Bengali literature is divided into three periods: ancient (650–1200), medieval (1200–1800) and modern. Medieval Bengali literature consists of various poetic genres, including Hindu religious scriptures, Islamic epics, Vaishnava texts, translations of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit texts, and secular texts by Muslim poets. Novels were introduced in the mid-19th century. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is the best known figure of Bengali literature to the world. Kazi Nazrul Islam, notable for his activism and anti-British literature, was described as the Rebel Poet and is now recognised as the National poet of Bangladesh. Bhawaiya is a musical form or a popular folk music that originated in Northern Bengal, especially the Rangpur Division in Bangladesh, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, India, and the undivided Goalpara district of Assam, India. It has recurrent themes of the "working class", mahouts, mahishals, and gariyals. Lyrics express pangs of separation and loneliness of their womenfolk, with elongated tones accentuating pain, longing and "deep emotion". Bhawaiya is generally believed to have originated in the 16th century under Biswa Singha, and has evolved into stage performances since the 1950s. The lyrics of Bhawaiya songs are non-denominational. Bhawaiya is really popular during the Bengali occasion of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha. Rarh region is a toponym for an area in the Indian subcontinent that lies between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East. Although the boundaries of the region have been defined differently according to various sources throughout history, it is mainly coextensive with the state of West Bengal, also comprising parts of the state of Jharkhand in India. Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people. Bharatchandra Ray Gunakor was an 18th-century Bengali and Sanskrit Sakta court poet and song composer. He is mostly known for his poetic work, Annadamangal or Annapurnamangal. He is often referred to simply as Bharatchandra. Maharaja Krishnachandra of Nadia conferred him with the title Gunakor, after which he became famous as Ray Gunakor Bharatchandra. Dhamal, better known as dhamail, is a form of Bengali folk music and dance prevalent in the Mymensingh and Sylhet regions of northeastern Bengal, in present-day Bangladesh and eastern India. Bangladeshi Folk Literature constitutes a considerable portion of Bengali literature. Though it was created by illiterate communities and passed down orally from one generation to another it tends to flourish Bengali literature. Individual folk literature became a collective product and assumes the traditions, emotions, thoughts and values of the community. Alkap is a Bengali folk dance popular in the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum in West Bengal and Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi in Bangladesh. It has also spread to the adjoining areas of Jharkhand and Bihar such as Dumka and Purnia. Chandra Kumar De was a writer and collector of medieval folklore and folk ballads of East Bengal villages, mostly in the Greater Mymensingh region which is now in Bangladesh. Today, he is an important folklore collector of Bengal, and his collected ballads are an important part of Bengali folk literature, they were published by University of Calcutta as Moimonshingho Gitika (1923) and Purbabanga Gitika (1923-1932), later published in English as Eastern Bengal Ballads. Anthony Firingee, born as Hensman Anthony, was a Bengali language kavigan singer-writer and folk poet of Portuguese origin known for his works in Bengali devotional songs in the early part of the 19th century. He was also noted for his performance in literary face-offs known as Kavigan. Patachitra or Pattachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. Patachitra artform is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Pattachitra is one of the ancient artworks of Odisha, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to Puri, as well as other temples in Odisha. Patachitras are a component of an ancient Bengali narrative art, originally serving as a visual device during the performance of a song. It can not be said with certainty where the first printing press was set up in Bangladesh. It is conjectured that the first printing press in Bangladesh was in Rangpur during 1847, about 335 kilometres (208 mi) away from Dhaka. The first printed piece from this printing press was a weekly newspaper named Rangapur Bartabaha in August 1847. In addition the first two Bengali weekly newspapers were from Rangpur. Printing machines took more than sixty years to reach East Bengal or Dhaka from Kolkata. The first English weekly newspaper, The Dacca News, was printed and published from Dhaka in 1856. So, it is assumed that after nine years of Rangpur press, the first printing machine of Dhaka was established and the press was named 'Bangla Press'. The Vaishnava Padavi movement refers to a period in medieval Bengali literature from the 15th to 17th centuries, marked by an efflorescence of Vaishnava poetry often focusing on the Radha-Krishna legend. The term padavali has the literal meaning "gathering of songs". . Krishna Chandra Das (1869–1934), commonly referred to as K.C. Das, was a Bengali confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and Bengali cultural icon of the early 20th century. Born in 1869 in Bag bazar, Kolkata, Krishna Chandra was the only son and successor of the Bengali confectioner and sweetmeat inventor Nobin Chandra Das. Krishna Chandra was a versatile enthusiast with a spirit of scientific exploration. He developed an electric loom, a soda fountain machine, did extensive research on homeopathy, and researched eastern and western classical music. Krishna Chandra Das became an iconic figure in the 1930s Kolkata as one of the creators of "Rosso Malai" and invention of the vacuum canned "Rosso Golla", which were popularized and promoted throughout India by his family organization K.C. Das Private Limited, founded by Krishna Chandra's son and successor Sarada Charan Das. References
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses. |