Gujjar dance: A battle exercise fading away

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Though it is a form of dance, but it has also been taken as a war cry to scare away enemies. Recently, this form of dance has given sleepless nights to the Rajasthan police during the Gujjar agitation. The Gujjars repeatedly displayed this thousand-year-old tradition of dance during the agitation to show their might and strength.
According to the Gujjar elders, historically the last show of this Gujjar dance was performed at the Khyber Pass when Gujjar king Raja Jai Pal Khatana fought his enemies. Once a tradition of such dance prevailed in Gujjar-dominated areas of the Indian sub-continent but now it is only confined to the parts of the Chambal ravines.
Gujjar leader Roop Singh has a good knowledge of such old traditions of the community. He said it was a skill of war using dance as a mode to scare away the enemy. “When invaders attacked Gujjar kingdom in Peshawar, the Gujjars assembled in groups, each comprising around 2,000 people, and made noises by their dance that caused a fear among the enemies. It forced the enemy to backtrack, says Dr Singh.
Dr Singh said dancing group creates a noise known as “Fatkara”, followed by “lachak and machak”. All such actions are part of war skills and it was used to force enemy to leave the place immediately, Dr Singh added. But he also underlined the threat posed to the age old dance form. ‘’Unfortunately, this dancing form now only exists in Gujjars villages located in the Chambal ravine areas of districts, like Karauli, Swai Madhopur, Bharatpur and Dholpur in Rajasthan.
The Gujjar stalwart Col. Kirori Singh Baisnla was also seen participating and enjoying the same dance form when his community members were on warpath with the state government. “Since time immemorial, such a dance form is in practice, says Col. Bainsla. “I have been told by historians that king of Peshawar, Jai Pal Khatana, had a brigade which was skilled in defeating enemy by such dancing tactics, says Col. Bainsla.
‘’It was aimed to create a war-like posture and gesture without using weapons, says Col. Bainsla. I love it. It helped us in agitation,” he added. ‘’Such songs and dance are our heritage,” says captain Bhim Singh Gujjar, another Gujjar leader.
The dance reflects the manner, expression and speaks of a warrior character of the community. The president of Gujjar Desh Charitable Trust, Masood Choudhary, said one can term it as a war practice. “That was the time when the Gujjars ruled the subcontinent from Kabul to Bengal. They were brave solider. That time Peshawar was under Khatana clan of Gujjars and they defeated the invaders by performing this art, says Mr Choudhary.
Gujjar leader Roop Singh added that hot weather is most suitable for the dance. ‘’The month of May and June is best for singing and dancing, Dr Singh said.
Describing the special features of the dance, Dr Singh said a group of 200 or more people perform and make a movement called Lachak and Machak. ‘’About 20 per cent other people dance in a circle replicating action of fight,” he said. The songs are mainly based on war heroes, their sacrifice, king of Mordhavaj and stories of Mahabharat are also mentioned in the songs.