Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of india
Date: October 16, 2010
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/kolkata-/Chhau-village-comes-alive-at-Kharagpur-puja/articleshow/6756576.cms#ixzz12Ui5tQ3O
Saddled in the foot of Purulia's Ayodhya Hills, Chorida the village that made
Chhau famous all over has come alive at Sanghasree club. With Ayodhya Hills
getting associated more with the Red ultras, Chorida has receded in the background.
More so after the death of its most famous son Gambhir Singh Mura.
A replica of Chorida has been made to house
the Goddess Durga and her entourage. Instead of Puran, the idol and the decor
has been based on Chhau. A bust of Gambhir Singh Mura greets the visitors
to the pandal.
None of the idols, except that of Kartik,
have their usual vahanas. The idols have been designed after Chhau performers.
The head is a mask of the Goddess. Durga is not Dashabhuja, instead she has
just two hands holding a sword and a trident.
"Chhau art has lost its popularity. Performances
are no longer rewarding for those involved with the art form. By having Chhau
as our theme, we hope it would revive interest among the urban society,"
Soumyadeb Mukherjee, secretary of Sanghashree club.
At the entrance of the pandal are two idols
of Durga and Shiva, disguised as Kirat and Kirati. The Chhau legend goes that
Shiva-Durga had taken the guise of a pair of hunters to break the penance
of Arjun, from an episode in the Mahabharat.
Bagambar Singh Mura, a nephew of Gambhir Singh
Mura, the legendary Chhau performer, has been brought to the Kharagpur pandal
and is giving live performances.
Around the mandap is the Chorida village et
al with the mask-makers who have arrived with their stock of clay and paper
to make masks and sell them during the puja days. Care has been taken to make
the workshops as they are in the village. While the dance is fast losing out,
the masks have made up for the loss and is the only livelihood that these
villagers have.
"They are making masks of various sizes
and moods as they are made in Chorida. The artisans are doing brisk business
as the masks have become very popural over the years," said Amit Biswas,
adviser of Sanghasree club.
While the artisans make masks and sell them,
another group of people are busy playing the dhamsa, dhol and flute all three
integral to a Chhau performance.
