Swapan Thakur

A jolly crowd of devotees dancing to sahnai and dhols. The party is separated into two halves. The first half consists of the general mass chirping to rhythm, and behind them comes the Pradhan bhakt. The main devotee or the Pradhan bhakt has been bestowed with the honour of carrying the devta. As one might say, God sits on his shoulders as he dances to the music.

It is a realm of unbridled joy and free dancing. Specialized instruments of Bengal like naal, dhol, and sahnai play the part in building the scene. Suddenly, one man breaks from the crowd and holds the Pradhan bhakt. He raises his hands and shouts “Thamo!”, the dhol, the dhak, and the sahnai stop at once. Whispers run through the crowd and the man sings,

“Bolo kon matuler lojorete
bhagnar ore matha.

bolte parle loron-choron

jabe jeta teta.”

(A tribute to Hindu mythology, the singer speaks of God Shani and Shri Ganesha. The story goes that when Shani looked at Ganesha he lost his human head, which gets replaced by Airavat’s head. The singer gives hints in the form of metaphors without launching into the tale directly.)

The general mass joins into a chorus (doharki), they give beats and pause for the reply. The Pradhan bhakt catches the tune and sings,

‘Shonore boli ore koli
shani mama r kotha
gonar shire boshlo chore
gojer ek matha”

(The story continues, and the Pradhan bhakt explains to the audience that the metaphors were describing the uncle-nephew pair of Shani and Ganesha.)

This break and catch style of communicative folk music is called Badhai Gaan. Badha dewa, creating pause, interruption, and stopping the other person is the primary motivation behind this type of song practice. Badhai linguistically refers to badha dewa.

The sweetness of Badhai gaan attracted many, one of them is the famous Jatra-palakar Bhairab Gangopadhyay. Janmashtami (birth ceremony of Lord Krishna) used to be celebrated in the melodies of Badhai gaan in South Bengal. The artists free their souls via dance, this expressive folk form is incomplete without twirls on its tunes. 

This practice rises from the lowest stages of society and blooms into folk culture. In East Burdwan (West Bengal) district’s Kuruman area, the practice is known as Kheshsha gaan. It is primarily sung during shib er gajon (a tribute to Lord Shiva). 

The tune and heart of the song practice are intact, but the wordings, pronunciations, and metaphors have evolved along with the world. Keeping in tide with the more liberating world, the practice has shed its religious synonyms. It is sung as a symbol of celebration during rituals, in remembrance of the colours of mythology. Other notions such as love stories, political injustice, and social causes have seeped into the tunes of this form.

Men dress up as characters, even the female ones, and sing in duets or unison. The premise of the song rules the costumes and makeup. Men cosplay as the different gods and goddesses and sing around in a happy journey down the village roads. One can often pinpoint Badhai gaan as a grassroots method of promoting culture among people. 

Badhai gaan is a unique composition of conversation and rhyme scales. It still thrives in East Burdwan, the villagers keep feeding the fire of this folk style. Presently, 20 different troops of Badhai gaan singers exist there and help ignite the appreciation for this folk style in newer audiences.