"Revival of dying song-and-dance form in sight, but problems are economic social and political in nature"

After being relegated to a dying song-and-dance form, the Tamasha is finally gaining support and patronage! A seminar titled 'Reflections on Tamasha and Lavani in Maharashtra' was held by the English Drama Circle of Symbiosis College of Arts & Commerce, on Wednesday, 29th August 2007 at the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan. This Drama circle is actively run by Dr. Hilda David.

The response was quite overwhelming, considering the fact that students were interested in knowing about this traditional and regional art form. Invitees included veteran actor Neelu Phule, Lalit Kala Kendra head Dr. Satish Alekar, Professor Ram Bapat, Madhukar Nerale, Sandesh Bhandare and Sushama Deshpande amongst others. They held the audience enthralled.

Not only did the seminar touch upon the origin and history of Lavani and Tamasha in Maharashtra but it also dealt with contemporary issues such as the exploitation of the dancers, hypocrisy of society, international acclaim of Lavani and caste bias. Prof. Bapat pointed out that most performers of the Tamasha do belong to the lower sections of society. "Artistes are not given enough recognition because they have little access to land. They don't have a guaranteed source of income," he said. "Most of them hail from the villages and are a marginalized community."

A documentary film titled 'Silent Ghungaroos' by Gauri Warudi was also screened. "Unwilling daughters of Tamasha artistes are often pushed into the art form due to pressure from local politicians," said Warudi. The documentary dealt with increasing efforts to revive this art form.

The vivacious and talented artiste, Ms. Sushama Deshpande stood strong to break all myths related to Lavani as a medium of self-expression. She spoke of "real tamashas" and the popular "baithakas". In addition, the students also witnessed a live performance of the ' Baithakichi Lavani' lead by Ravindra Khade. The seminar was an unforgettable event and was successful in exposing the students to an age-old art form that is still prevalent in Maharashtra.

Pranav Dixit is in the third year B.A and Sharada Rao is in F.Y. B.Com. Both are associated with the English Drama Circle at Symbiosis College.