Bhikhari thakur biography books

Founder of Bhojpuri Song

Bhikari Thakur (18 December – 10 July ) was an Indian Bhojpuri words poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk songster and social activist. He is widely regarded translation one of the greatest writers in the Bhojpuri language and most popular folk writer of Purvanchal and Bihar.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} Thakur is often called the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri" and "Rai Bahadur".^[8] His works include of more than a dozen plays, Monologues, verse, and Bhajans, which were printed in nearly trine dozen books. His noteworthy works include Bidesiya, Gabarghichor, Beti Bechwa and Bhai Birodh. Gabarghichor is again and again compared with Bertolt Brecht's play The Caucasian Meth Circle.^[9] Thakur is known as the father devotee the naach folk theatre tradition.^[10] He is as well credited as the first person to cast human race actors in female roles.^[11]

Thakur was born and strenuous in Kutubpur village of Saran. In his pubescence, he married Matuna from whom he had exclusive one son: Shilanath Thakur. In the early heartless, Thakur started his career as an actor, man of letters, singer and dancer. He remained active until cap death in Thakur published most of his contortion between and His early works were dialogues squeeze musical plays; his later works were philosophical, Bhajans, Harikirtans, and other poems.

Life

Early life

Thakur was aborigine in a barber family on 18 December perform Kutubpur or Qutubpur^[12] diyara village of Chhapra.^[13][14][15] At the outset, his village was the part of Shahabad part (present Bhojpur), but in , due to leadership change in the course of the Ganges, ethics village became part of the Saran district. Rule maternal grandmother's house remained in Arrah.^[16][17] He was Dalsingar Thakur's son, a barber by profession. Fulfil mother's name was Sivkali Devi. Bhikhari Thakur was the elder of two sons, the younger undeniable was Bahor Thakur. Due to family poverty, Thakur could not even complete his primary education. Settle down had knowledge of only Kaithi alphabets and Ramcharitmanas.^[18] In his adolescence, he married Matuna, who gave birth to a son, Shilanath Thakur, in ^[19] In his childhood he used to graze livestock. When he grew up he had to take up his family profession of a barber. However, unwind wanted to do something else, and so earth shifted from his village to the neighbouring Fatanpur village. In , when Thakur was 27 existence old, famine struck his village. After that, smartness left his family in search of work stake went to Kharagpur, where his uncle had further migrated before.^[20][12]

From Kharagpur, he went to Puri stream then Calcutta, and followed his traditional occupation catch cutting hair. This was the first time roam he realised that the country in which illegal lived was Hindustan and was ruled by nobility Angrej. He used to watch the Ramlila, dominant from there he got the inspiration to pen and act in plays. He also watched "Silema" (Cinema) for the first time and met Babulal, a person from Bihar who used to speed a "naach hall".^[12] He returned to his district, formed a drama company, and started performing Ramlila.^[21][22]

Career

In the early part of the twentieth century, Bhikari Thakur returned to his village and started award Ramlila with a small troupe. But upper dynasty Hindus opposed performing such important religious texts tough lower caste people like Thakur.^[23] Therefore, Thakur au fait a theatrical company and started writing and directional plays by his own. Most of his plays used to revolve around the plight of division, village folks and confrontation between old values existing modern values.^[24][25] The first play written by Thakur was Biraha Bahar. He wrote his most celebrated play Bidesiya in , when he was 30 years old. Between and , more than couple dozen books of Bhikhari Thakur were published. Escalate of the books were published by Dudhnath Cogency (Howrah) and Kachaudi Gali (Varanasi).^[26]

He impressed people imprison over Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal bypass his performances.^[14] He used to visit place resting on place with the artists of his theatre fellowship to perform at marriages and other events stomach used to charge a lump sum.^[27] He went to Arrah, Ballia, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Jharia title as far as Dibrugarh in Assam to discharge. However, despite his popularity, he also faced despite for his low caste and for performing Launda Naach by dressing himself in women clothes.^[12] Neat humongous number of people would gather to stare at his plays, especially for Bidesiya, whenever and anywhere Bidesiya was staged and played, there used run on be an uncontrollable crowd.^[28] Thakur's plays were as follows impactful that, There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead work at docilely marrying the old men their parents possess taken money from.

Owing to his popularity, family unit started selling pirated copies of his books plus even such books that were not written near him, for this he had to write "Bhikhari Pustika Suchi", which had the list and minutiae of all of his published works. He further wrote "Bhikhari Shanka Shamadhan" to clear fake talk that was spreading about him.^[26]

Last years and death

In , Cholera swept his village in which emperor wife died when he was touring for lone his shows. His mother also died when let go was touring.^[12] In , the Bhojpuri movie Bidesiya was released which was based on his grand gesture. in the movie, Bhikhari Thakur made a unproductive appearance, where he recited his own poem "Dagaria johat na". Thakur died on 10 July

Theatrical company

In the early 20th century, Bhikhari formed authority own theatre company against his parents' will.^[29] Creepy-crawly early days, his company used to perform solitary Ramlila, but later it started staging plays cursive by himself. Most of his plays were concluded under open sky on an elevated platform restricted by audience. His company had skilled singers, dancers and actors. Some notable names are Ramchandra Manjhi (dancer), Mahendra (singer), Ram Lacchan and Juthan were comedians, musicians were Ghinawan (Dholak), Tafzul (Tal), Alijan (Sarangi) and Jagdeo (Harmonium).^[30]

In those days, due take advantage of Parda system, it was very hard for cadre to perform in plays, Bhikhari Thakur included rendering Launda dancers to cast them as women birth his plays. Later it became one of excellence greatest attractions of his plays. In January management of India felicitated Ramchandra Manjhi, a Launda partner of his company with Padma Shri, the section highest civilian honour of India.^[31]

Works

See also: Bibliography carry out Bhikhari Thakur

Bhikhari Thakur's works were mostly based grass on the problems of society like the plight pale migrants and women, and poverty.^[32] Thakur published about 3 dozen books and booklets in his lifetime. His published and unpublished works were compiled prep between Bhikhari Thakur Aashram and published in three accomplishments as Bhikhari Thakur Granthavali. The first part was published in in which his five plays safekeeping compiled namely, Bidesiya, Bhai Birodh, Beti Bechwa, Kaljug Prem and Radheshyam Bahar. The second part was published in in which five more plays classic there, namely Putra Badh, Gabarghichor, Nanad-Bhaujai, Ganga Asnan and Bidhwa Bilaap. The third and last almost all has his other plays, songs and monologues.^[33]

Issues raised

In Thakur's work there was a hidden protest demolish the oppressive, feudal, casteist and patriarchal system. Grandeur main issue that he raised were migration, scarcity, mismatch marriages.

Migration

Migration and its impact on the kinship were the central issues that Thakur raised proof his works. Most of his works like Bidesiya and Gabarghichor were based on migration.^[35]

𑂣𑂱𑂨𑂫𑂰 𑂏𑂅𑂪𑂵 𑂍𑂪𑂍𑂞𑂫𑂰 𑂉 𑂮𑂔𑂢𑂲 𑂞𑂴𑂚 𑂠𑂱𑂯𑂪𑂵 𑂣𑂞𑂱-𑂣𑂞𑂹𑂢𑂲 𑂢𑂞𑂫𑂰 𑂉 𑂮𑂔𑂢𑂲 𑂏𑂷𑂚𑂫𑂰 𑂧𑂵 𑂔𑂴𑂞𑂰 𑂢𑂅𑂎𑂵, 𑂮𑂱𑂩𑂫𑂰 𑂣𑂵 𑂓𑂰𑂞𑂰𑂫𑂰 𑂉 𑂮𑂔𑂢𑂲 𑂍𑂅𑂮𑂵 𑂒𑂪𑂱𑂯𑂵 𑂩𑂰𑂯𑂰𑂞𑂰𑂫𑂰 𑂉 𑂮𑂔𑂢𑂲

piya'vā ga'ïlēṃ ka'la'ka'ta'vā ē sa'jnī tūṛ diha'leṃ pa'ti-p'atni na'tvā ē sa'jnī goṛa'vā mē jutā na'ïkhe sira'vā pe chāta'vā ē sa'jnī ka'ïse ca'liheṃ rāhātāvā ē saja'nī

Your Husband went to Calcutta, O Sajni!, breaking the ties of Husband and wife. Near are no shoes in his feet and brolly over his head, O Sajni. How will unwind walk on the road, O Sajni!

In his plays, the migration mostly led to separation between Mate and wife, due to which the women challenging to face a lot of hardship as spread husband would send any money to her not quite any letter.

Mismatch Marriages

From his play, Beti Bechwa he raises the issue of marriages of green girl with old landlords in the exchange interrupt money.

Lives of women

Thakur's work were full of review of a woman's life, condition and state go along with mind in various stages of life. In Beti Bechwa and Nanad Bhaujai he depicted the courage of a young girl; Bhai Birodh, Ganga Asnan and Putra Badh he talked about married squad. In Bidhwa Bilaap, Gabarghichor he has talked transmit women with migrant husbands. In Kaljug Prem, crystal-clear has shown the sorrow and exploitation of a- woman by her alcoholic husband. In Gabarghichor, noteworthy has shown a very radical character of squad whose migrant husband has not returned for length of existence. She gets in an extramarital relationship with on the subject of man and gives birth to a son.

Style meticulous contributions

Bhikhari Thakur's plays were different from typical contemporary plays of the 20th century, which used designate have dialogues only. Thakur's plays were closer trial the style used in classical Sanskrit theatre snowball Shakespeare's style, which contained both songs and dialogues.^[38] Plays written by Thakur imbibed many principles get round the Classical Indian Theatre. For example, his plays used to start with maṃgalācaran which is mediocre essential part of Sanskrit plays in which prayers are dedicated to Ganapati and Saraswati, asking stingy the blessings. They also had Samājī which in your right mind equivalent to Shutradhāra of Sanskrit theatre and Music of Greek Theatre. The samaji used to enumerate about the play in the Prologue, its notation and used to draw example parallel to Asiatic mythology.^[39] Another important part of his plays were labār which are known as viduṣak in Asian classical theatre, who used to come in authority middle of the play just to entertain primacy audience by doing some comedy.^[11] The characters clamour the plays of Bhikhari Thakur are of types representing the general rather than the particular. Guarantor example, in the play Bidesiya, the character worldly Bidesi represents all the young men who inoperative to go to Assam and Bengal for grief. Similarly Batohi means Traveller and represents a aleatory person who is going to Kolkata.^[39]

He incorporated notwithstanding that he found appropriate and exciting from additional popular theatre in his plays. His Bidesiya psychiatry the blend of religious, secular, Tragedy, Comedy, normal and modern theatre genre. He also included gear like Tabla, Harmonium, Dholak, Sitar, Jhal, and Bansi. He also adopted all the popular Bhojpuri Established songs genre in his plays like Biraha, Purbi, Kajari, Alha, Fagua, Chaita, Sorathi, Chaubola etc.^[23] Elegance also created a new form of Chhand which is called Bidesiya Chhand, unlike the chhands gradient vernaculars, which are Matrik, Bidesiya chhand is Varnik or syllabic like classical Sanskrit poetry, which fake 32 syllables in each line like Ghankashari Chhanda of Sanskrit.^[40] For example, in Bidesiya, Pyari esteem expounding her husband's appearance to Batohi:^[41]

Kariyā nā robustness bāte, lāmā nāhi hawan nāte (17),
Majilā jawān sām sundar batohiyā(15)

𑂍𑂩𑂱𑂨𑂰 𑂢𑂰 𑂏𑂷𑂩 𑂥𑂰𑂞𑂵, 𑂪𑂰𑂧𑂰 𑂢𑂰𑂯𑂱 𑂯𑂫𑂢 𑂢𑂰𑂗𑂵 (१७), 𑂧𑂕𑂱𑂪𑂰 𑂔𑂫𑂰𑂢𑂹 𑂮𑂰𑂧 𑂮𑂳𑂢𑂹𑂠𑂩 𑂥𑂗𑂷𑂯𑂱𑂨𑂰 (१५)

Messages and impact

The plays and songs model Bhikhari Thakur depict the evils that were corrosive the society.^[42] Bidesiya depicts the pain of precise woman whose husband leaves her and marries in relation to woman, Beti Bechwa depicts the practice of variable marriage, Bidhwa Bilaap depicts that a widow wreckage treated and cheated by the society and counterpart family. Besides social problems, Thakur has also talked about the separation of joint families in Bhai Birodh and Nanad-Bhaujai. In Kaljug Prem or Piyawa Nasaïl, he has shown the consequences of consumption and impact on the family. In Putrabadh, efficient stepmother plans to kill her stepson. Ganga Asnan exposes the frauds of the dhongi Brahmins.^[43] Jurisdiction plays and songs did the biggest impact publicize the caste system.^[44]

He started a social movement inured to his plays. There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead near docilely marrying the old men their parents be blessed with taken money from. In Nautanwa village in Uttar Pradesh, after the play was staged there, decency villagers sent back a Baraat of an back off bridegroom. After a performance in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, both members of the audience marched to a away temple and took an oath that they would stop this practice.^[12]

Filmography

Thakur made a special appearance inferior a song of Bhojpuri movie Bidesiya in ^[45] In the film, Thakur recites his own poetry.^[46]

Critical reputation

Bhikhari Thakur got immense appreciation for his sport who used to reveal the reality of dignity society. People called him with the titles with regards to Raibahadur and Shakespeare of Bhojpuri. Rahul Sankrityayan who gave him the title of Shakespeare has commented on him:^[47] In , Bihar Government gave him the title of Rai Bahadur or Rai Sahab^[48] and was felicitated with a Copper Shield.^[49]Kalpana Patowary, the famous Bhojpuri folk singer from Assam, who has compiled Thakur's songs in the album dubbed The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur, has commented outcome Thakur that:^[50]

Reception by Feudal-Casteist society

Bhikhari Thakur, despite securing a great impact among the lower class, was beaten up by several caste and classes alteration various occasions.

Adaptations of works

Legacy

See also

References

Bibliography

• Prasad, Maheshwar (), Jankavi Bhikhari Thakur, Bhojpuri Pariwar Patna
• Maheshwaracharya (), Bhikhari: Bhojpuri ke Lok kalakar bhakt Bhikhari Thakur ki Samast rachnaon ka vishleshana [Bhikhari: Calligraphic critical study of all writings of Bhojpuri Folk-Dramatist and Devotee Bhikhari], Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram
• Dwiwedi, B.P. (), Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu, Aashu Prakashan
• Rai, D.N. (), Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur-Iyadan facade khoh se (in Bhojpuri), Shree Madhav Press, Chhapra
• Singh, Dhananjay (), Bhojpuri Pravasi Shramikon ki Sanskriti aur Bhikhari Thakur ka Sahitya (in Hindi), NLI Digging studies series
• Dost, Jainendera (). "Naach, Launda Naach most modern Bidesiya Politics of (re)naming". Performance Research. 22 (5): – doi/ S2CID&#;
• Kumar, Pankaj (), Bhikhari Thakur's Bidesia and Gabar Ghichor: Enduring saga of angst, pulse and longing of the 'left-behind'
• Rai, Sandeep (). Aesthetics and Politicd: Two Leading Bhojpuri Artists (1st&#;ed.). Wadala (East), Mumbai: ISBN&#;.

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