Folk dance has always enthralled us with a peculiar sense of awe and grandeur, especially in India where every region has a special folk feature. One such form of folk from the states of Orissa, West Bengal  and Jharkhand is known as Chhau.

The origin is said to have taken roots in Mayurbhanj, Orissa and was primarily categorised then according to the three subgenres of the dance, based on its places of origin and development. Seraikella Chhau was developed in Seraikella, while Purulia Chhau was developed in Purulia district of West Bengal and Mayurbhanj Chhau was developed in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa. The word Chhau is said to have developed from the Sanskrit word chhaya while according to another Oriya scholar it comes from Chhauni (military camp).
An interesting story is about how Chhau originated as a form of mock fights of Oriya Paikas (warriors) who fought rhythmically to the beats of indigenous musical instruments. Over the years Chhau has developed and undergone many changes since the days of its origin. It does follow a lot of principles from Natyashastra (treatise on dance) and Abhinaya Darpana of Nandikeshwar. The dance is usually performed during the Chaitra Parva in the open air on a raised platform
A three-day festival organised by KELI brings Chhau from Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj this weekend. It opens at Y.B. Chavan Centre and continues at Prithvi Theatre. KELI, a Mumbai- based organisation is into promoting, developing and propagating the rich classical culture of India.
Ramachandran K., who is the festival director says, “One of the interesting aspects about this year’s Chhau festival is that dancers from Purulia are coming to the city after a long gap of 16 years.” The festival brings together some of the outstanding exponents from the field of Chhau representing all the three traditions.
Purulia Chhau, which came from the Purulia district of Bengal, has theme-based performances. It has a traditional theme of dance drama of Purulia. It consists of the entire Ramayana being enacted in 28 scenes and is now presented in an abridged form. A lot of acts are drawn from the Mahabharata and performances are marked by forceful abstractions of body kinetics and energetic leaps.
Mayurbhanj Chhau, which comes from the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa interestingly is the only form of Chhau that does not use any masks. Even then the basic principle of using the body to convey emotions and sentiments remains strong. In many ways the absence of mask allows free movements. The repertoire includes simple and natural themes such as hunting and fishing to animal dances and dances of deities like Hanuman.
Seraikella Chhau coming from the Seraikella in Jharkhand has a lot of dance pieces based on animal or natural images such as peacock, butterfly ,ocean and many other such natural themes.
Pandit Gopal Prasad Dubey, who is a veteran in the field of Chhau, will be performing with his troupe at the festival. He is an expert of the Seraikella tradition which has developed out of a wonderful confluence of folk, classical, ritual and martial traditions of the region.
Seraikella was a part of a princely state before Independence and the craft and technique has come a long way since then.
“There is a methodist approach and new choreography is evolving these days,” says Dubeyji. Seraikella is unique for its masks which speak volumes and have a rich history. Since Chhau does not have any facial expressions a lot of focus is on Sthayi Bhava and a lot of body movement. There are no mudras (hand gestures) and everything practically depends on the chali (walk), chakras (spins) and many other exercises.
Training starts as early as the age of seven and it takes at least five to seven years of rigorous practice to become a professional. The tremendous amount of footwork and body technique comes quite easily at a tender age as bodies are agile and flexible.
“Seraikella Chhau has some extremely graceful and lyrical movements and till date a lot of literature is still in Oriya language,” says Dubeyji.
The music used is eclectic while the laya and taal is different from their usual composition as in original ragas. He will be performing the Mayur Nritta (peacock dance), which is a very vital and graceful composition as a part of his repertoire.

Ipsitaa Panigrahi