Tradition, Theatrics, and Tamasha

What image pops into your head when you think of ‘theatre’? Is it lively, engaging, active, and fun, while also deeply rooted in tradition, history, and cultural skill? Today, the theatre industry has captured the world’s attention with its shine, charm, and inventiveness. However, there lies a world behind some theatrical closed curtains which is an abode to the folk traditions manifested as theatre in Indian culture. Among them thrives Tamasha, a Marathi folk theatre tradition, which has made generations awe-struck with its every dramatic dance move and provocative act. Showcasing double meaning, satire, and erotic themes through their performances, Tamasha artists indulge in verse, movement, melody, and imitation to enunciate their expressive acts.

The word ‘Tamasha’ has etymological origins as the Arabic word, which stands for ‘fun’ or ‘playful entertainment’. The folk theatre has incorporated elements from Gondhal (a dance with mythological tales), Dasavatara (a distinct type of folk theatre), and Vaghya Murali (worshippers of Khandoba). On the face of it, Tamasha might appear to be a simple set of acts performed by small actor troops to entertain people. However, it is much more than that—it has historically acted as an active tool to subvert established social, hegemonic hierarchies and norms by satirically portraying them in an unconventional and funny manner. Although accounts vary, there are 2 primary variations of Tamasha: Assal i.e. raw, which incorporates erotic, authentic rural entertainment, and Banavat i.e. sophistication—also referred to as Loknatya—which signifies to be more sophisticated, urban settings and socio-political messages.

Historical Roots

Tamasha’s roots traverse all the way back to the twelfth century, wherein the target audience was primarily the rural populace. After much hard work in ploughing, breaking stones, and working in agriculture, Tamasha was ideally suited as a decent stress buster. The creator of Tamasha was Ram Joshi (1762 C.E. to 1812 C.E.), who was proficient in Sanskrit and Marathi. Joshi, together with Morpanta – a prolific Marathi writer – designed the structure of Tamasha. This art prospered during the Peshwa and the Mughal periods, wherein the performers used acrobatics to entertain armies in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Hitherto, Tamasha has been performed by nomadic tribal communities as well as darveshis, hijras, and Dalit bara balutedars, i.e., service and artisanal castes. The dancers are called ‘nachya’, whereas the poet is the ‘sutradhar’ or narrator. A tamasha performance initiates with the performers making an offering at a temple in the morning, followed by a wrestling competition known as kushti in the evening, and the actual performance begins at night. Travelling tamasha groups tour villages and districts during annual fairs. These shows are typically held in open areas and feature elaborate apparel that includes the distinctive zari-embroidered nauvari Maharashtrian saree, a kamarpatta or waist belt, and vivid jewellery such as large earrings, bangles, and ghungroos or metal bells that are commonly worn by lavani dancers during Tamasha.

Caste Subversion and Resistance Subtext 

Historically, Tamasha was performed by the lower rung of Dalit people of Maharashtra who were subject to caste slavery in rural areas. Dr. Paik describes how Dalits who were forced to work as servants were,

“denied manuski (humanity) and ordered to perform menial and agrarian tasks and to perform dance, music, and song for the entertainment of touchables. These forced performances were part of a broader system of caste slavery and reinforced the low and degraded status of Untouchables.”

Subsequently, in the twentieth century, Tamasha began to be described as vulgar by the elitist tier of society due to its sringarik or erotic elements. The Mahars were lowly village workers who were expected to follow any orders given to them by authorities such as the headman, village corporation, or colonial government. Often, they were compelled to provide unpaid labour and produce work as the Untouchable class within a heavily casteist society.

The caste system established social hierarchies and labour disparities not only between the dominant classes as exploiters and the Untouchables as exploited, but also among the oppressed groups themselves. This hierarchical structure fostered divisions among Dalits, with rivalries and jealousies intensifying despite shared lived experiences. Some Brahmin men, like Ram Joshi and Patthe Bapurao, also engaged in Tamasha, which created opportunities for forming kinship ties and building intimate communities across different castes. However, due to the caste system’s constraints, each group was restricted to the age-old restricted peripheries of their kinship groups based on birth, and there was nil scope for social mobility.

Tamasha had the potential to challenge or disrupt the caste system and untouchability, as well as confront social reinforcements with its strong nonconformist undertones. Nevertheless, the caste system ingrained the formation of distinct caste communities, ultimately limiting Untouchables to roles involving singing, music, and dance, a situation that persists to this day. Thus, Tamasha is an embodiment of enunciating that there was no simplifying oppression by creating mere binaries between upper castes and Dalits—Tamasha served as a performance that highlighted the social hierarchies of labour and life, reinforcing sociopolitical power while further stigmatising the Untouchables.

Women’s Subjugation and Queer Intersection 

During the late Peshwa period, the Ati-Shrudra women who performed Lavni-Tamasha were called bateek or whores. These women were enslaved by the rulers to dance for high-caste savarnas in halls, stables, granaries, and cattle houses. These women were brought as slaves in place of payment for the state. Additionally, this was also an arena where the state exercised power over women’s bodies, commodified them, and controlled them. Gregarious distinctions were additionally mirrored in the musical compositions of Lavanikars, who engendered dichotomies of the ‘saubhagyavati (wife)’ and the ‘bateek’. While the wife expressed her pain of disunion from her courter and took pride in his virility and inordinate desire, the low-caste bateek pleaded with men to exercise their right over her and to give her gratification.

Tamasha often involves kalavanths, or artists, to enact scenes of seduction or flirtations on love songs, i.e., Lavani. If we look further back, historically, in Marathi poetry, theatrical activities have been mentioned. Herein, the actor does the parts of both king and queen without feeling the difference and embodies gender fluidity by assuming the role of a woman in actuality as well. In the nineteenth century, although Tamasha and Lavani were demarcated as lower art forms for the trade of sex and wealth, they were not stigmatised as ‘ashlil’ or vulgar, even if ‘nachya-pore’ or boy dancers cross-dressed and performed as women. This stigma grew and stuck to Dalits in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Eventually, these male nachyas were replaced fully by women entertainers, as enacting femininity was seen as inappropriate and unacceptable.

Silver lining or a rusty past? 

In the post-colonial times, Tamasha stands on the fence with the dangers of decline and hopes of renaissance. In Pune, Arya Bhushan Tamasha Theatre was struggling due to a lack of monetary funding and dwindling audiences due to the rise of high-tech modes of entertainment. In Maharashtra, a state of 450 Tamasha troupes and more than 10,000 artists, this degradation of a centuries-old art form is outrageous but, unfortunately, not unforeseen. Padma Ghatsalekar, who has been dancing for 25 years, expressed that the government only considers Tamasha artists during the Ganesh festivals.

“Rest of the year, they are not even bothered if we are alive or dead. It’s time they took interest in the art,” Ghatsalekar stated.

However, we see a resurgence of dance troupes of Tamasha, like Bin Bayakancha Tamasha, wherein all-male performers enact femininity and blur the lines of societal nomenclature using this art. The history of Tamasha carries with it lots of caste hangover and brutal realities of low-caste subjugation; however, Tamasha also represents the agency of these people to express themselves freely, openly, and beautifully. Acknowledging its rusty past is crucial, but Tamasha is much more now; it’s art, architecture, and movement—etching towards a new outlook.

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