The Newscraving Desk
Srinagar, Mar 20:
Sub Office Kathua of Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages (JKAACL) organised a Music and Dance programme at Ramgarh, Samba here today in which over 100 artists showcased their talent at the above said venue. The artists were welcomed by a large number of audiences who repeatedly applauded them for their mesmerising performances. Manjeet Kaur Niab Sarpanch, Keso Manhasan was the chief guest on the occasion whereas Ramesh Singh Namardar Cheak Babral was the guest of honor.
Manjeet Kaur while sharing her views lauded the efforts made by the JKAACL’s sub-office, Kathua. She said that the initiatives which JKAACL’s Sub-Office Kathua is taking for the promotion and preservation of the art and culture of the state can never be denied. She further appreciated the performances of all the performers who made every one spellbound with their magical presentation. Moreover there is no place on this earth where one can find the diversity of culture which we have in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Everyone should come forward for the preservation of the culture of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and all have to take it as a priority and responsibility to nurture the values of our culture and tradition, she added.
The programme was conducted under the direction of Secretary J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages Sh. Bharat Singh JKAS. The programme was started with the mesmerising performance by Ravi Sharma & Party followed by vibrant performances by R L Shugal & Party (Dogri songs), Subash Chander & party(Dogri folk),Amit kumar & party, Hardeep Dance Group (Nukkad Show ) and Mohd Rafiq and Party who spellbound everyone in the audiences. The highlight of today’s programme was the performance of Hern by CD Magotra and Party. Hern is a traditional theatre which in the absence of patronage and support has almost vanished from the Districts of Udhampur, Kathua, and Reasi.
A group of performers with Hern (Deer) as its central character supported by a group of folk dancers in traditional attire, local drum players and few prominent characters like ‘Raja’, ‘Wazir’, ‘Sadhu’, and a caretaker of Hern move in a carnival and this mobile traditional theatre moves from house to house covering the entire village. Singing and dancing, this group of performers reflect upon the socio, economic and political state of the area through small satirist cal acts. The Raja represents the Ruler, the Wazir represents the bureaucracy, and the co-dancers, the public and there begins the caricature of the rule, the wisdom behind and the sufferings of the common-man.
Two actors wearing a mask of the deer, through their body language, create interesting rhythmic moves. The traditional play moves at the will of the movement of ‘Hern’. The change of the postures of the Hern gives new twists to the story line and all performers judiciously follow that. With a lot of possibilities of the assimilation of contemporary themes and immense capacity to comment on the present this vibrant colourful theatre is dying a miserable death.
The program was conducted by Ashok Kumar Sharma and coordinated by Shoket Naseem.