Moumita Santra
Former PG Student, Department of English, Bhatter College, Dantan, West Bengal
Abstract
As a traditional folk art form, folk dances of West Bengal hold a remarkable position in the lives of the rural people. There are certain masked folk dances in West Bengal that are primarily performed by the local people during certain festivities or rituals. Mask as a potent means of disguise, has taken a major role in formulating the self-other binary. It is a device used by the dancers sometimes to represent spiritual or legendary figures by hiding their human countenance. And they take on other appearances as a performing object. Mask is a means of transgression of the boundaries because it provides an avenue for creating another being. So, the mask is not only a complex means of identity transformation which helps to hide the self/identity of the performer but by its own features establishes a new personality also. In a variety of folk performances like the Chhau of Purulia district and the Gambhira of Maldah district where the mask assists the dancer in lifting himself out of his everyday consciousness of the self and infuses the plot with a different persona and in turn, assumes a new identity. This article engages in a discussion of the contemporary understanding of the mask vis-à-vis identity transformation. The crux of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the interaction between the ‘Self’ and the ‘Other’, taking phrases from John Emigh, primarily in the context of the transformation of identity and the ways of the identity reconstruction practices. I shall try to explore the so-called “liminal phrase” that helps in clumping together ‘the betwixt’ and ‘the between’ of a certain masked performance.
Keywords: Mask, rituals, Identity, Liminal, Folk performances,
Introduction
The existence of masks as an art form is found in almost all societies and cultural practices from time immemorial. A general definition of a mask would be anything worn or used to help disguise a person’s identity. The origin of the word ‘mask’, however, is not very much clear. Scholars speculate that the word gets its origin in the Arabic word called ‘mashkara’ which means ‘to falsify’ or ‘transform’ into another being. In Italy the word became ‘maschera’ and it finally appeared in English vocabulary as a mask. Historically the mask is a catalyst for transportation out of the self and into something transformative. According to Richard Schechner, the mask is a performing ‘tool’ consistent in its power to evoke new sensibility to impulses and corrections to creativity. So, an ability to access the creative state becomes attuned through ritual as well. It is this interplay of ‘Self’ and ‘other’ that the masked performance relates to the process of the liminal phase.
Developing the concept of liminal phase and Identity reconstruction in ritual practices, Venn Gennep introduced a theory of rites of passage in three phases: separation, characterized by symbols of detachment; liminality, ritual subject in which one’s sense of identity dissolves to some extent, bringing about disorient and aggregation, the consummation of the passage. (Genep 61) And the renowned cultural anthropologist Victor Turner applied this middle stage respectively to his own fieldwork, seeing the liminal process as ritualistic. According to Turner, transformation takes place through ritual inhabitation of the mask as the performer is literally on the threshold of something new. (Turner 97) This transformation is called “Liminal Phases”.
Turner explores the redefinition of liminal phase that is “Liminal entities are neither here nor there; they are betwixt’ and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, costume, conviction, and ceremonial. As such their ambiguous and indeterminate attributes are expressed by a rich variety of symbols in the many societies that ritualize social and cultural transitions. Thus, liminality is frequently linked to death, to being in the womb, to invisibility, to darkness, to bisexuality, to the wilderness, and to an eclipse of the sun and moon” (Turner 97). It is evident that impulses are made available to the performer through ritualized communication with self. Richard Schechner’s definition of the liminal phase is worth noting at this juncture:
“When people undergoing the ritual practices became temporarily ‘nothing’, exposed to vulnerability but open to change. Donnig the mask the actor is stripped of identity. Anonymity of the self contains while a partnership with the mask and filling of the physical sphere yields something new. The same analogy holds true for the actor’s awareness of change. Persons are inscribed with new identities and initiated into their new powers” (Turner 97).
So the ritual practice becomes an active search for the performers to uncover a new identity. The liberation from the self and strict structural form often makes the identities discovered surprising and exciting. This fuels the actor’s exploration toward the liminal. Thus the interplay of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’ continues throughout the masked performances.
John E. Mack also opines in his book Masks: The Art of Expression that during the performances the mask “conceals the wearer but instigates a masquerade, and ‘negotiating’ the exact line between concealment and revelation in any given situation is one potent source of the variability of masking traditions” (Mack 17). The “mixture of the familiar and the strange” he says, is precisely “what makes a person and being” (Mack 17). This theoretical premise can well be implemented in the context of masked performances of Bengal where the performers construct and reconstruct their identities with the help of the masks. Masks, used primarily in the rituals or performances, allow the actor to quote Emigh “to let the potential life flow through his own body”, although the interplay is fraught with paradoxes and ambiguities.
John Emigh argues that the relationship of the mask to its wearer is a paradigm chiefly due to the relationship between personal ‘self’ and the assumed ‘other’ that lies at the heart of theatrical performances, an activity which both exposes and takes delight in the complexities of human identity. For him, when a person enters into a ritual role, it transforms the person from a non-ritual role into one that constitutes the other, who holds power beyond those of daily life. If we look at the analysis of liminality by Turner as a phase, we would be able to see that the liminar reflects the society and the cosmos in order to mould them in a newer identity with new responsibilities and powers. Looking at the folk performances of Bengal like Chhau and Gambhira, we can see that the mask has long been a conduit in producing a new identity, the means and of liminality. I shall now discuss the two select folk performances of West Bengal –
Mask used in Chhau Dance:
One of the most important regional mask dances of West Bengal that has gained international reputation in the last couple of decades is Chhau. The Chhau dance had its origin in the district of Purulia of West Bengal. The word ‘chhau’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘chhya’ meaning ‘shadow or image’. Generally chhau means mask. Emerging from martial practice, the Purulia chhau is a vigorous form of dance drama that draws its themes from the two great Indian epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. The dance is performed during the chaitra parva festival or the Gajan festival in mid-April. And they also celebrated the glories of Lord Shiva. A number of bhaktas or devotees drawn from different castes assemble near the temple and perform ritualistic practices. The traditional dance is performed at open spaces at the rhythm of various kinds of drums like dhol, dhumsa, and other instruments to make this dance lively and striking.
A distinctive feature of this dance is the acrobatic use of the body and the intricately crafted masks worn by dancers. Here the focus is on the change process when the mask is worn. The dancers wear the masks and playing the role of different characters like God and Goddess, demons and monsters from mythological stories, the dancers are in between two identity constructions : they are neither one thing not the other. They are entered at the liminal phase. At this stage, the liminar reaches a new identity position by freeing himself from self entity. Thus identity reconstruction practices are manifested in masked folk performances of Bengal.
Mask used in Gambhira Dance:
Another form of mask dance is Gambhira which holds a significant place and immense popularity in West Bengal. It is one of the most devotional folk dances. Gambhira, originated in the Malda district of North Bengal, is performed during the festival of Chaitra sankranti and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The word ‘Gambhira’ is derived from ‘Gamar’. Gamar is a variant of a local tree, and its wood is specifically used to make Gambhira mask which emphasises the ‘otherness’ of the wearer that is the actor or persona.
Gambhira dance is performed on the song of the same name. It is in fact, a solo dance performance which is associated with musical instruments like harmonium, tabla, trumpet, etc. The performance generally takes place every evening after the worshipping of Shiva. Lord Shiva, being the most popular among the gods and goddesses, is believed to be the destructor of the demons. He is worshiped and paid homage to by this form of dance in hope of the good production of crops. While dancing, the artists cover the faces with masks and play the role of different gods by losing his ‘identity’. The artist’s ability to get absorbed in the character retains the core of the ritualised approach and shows the liminal phrase of identity transformation and its reconstruction with the aid of masks.
Conclusion
Thus the liminal phrase of ‘neither here nor there’ condition is very much conspicuous in both of these performances of Bengal. Both the performances hide, alter, construct or rather reconstruct newer identities and masks are the only means of doing that. Looking at this we may say that masks used in both Gambhira and Chhau are the most important means of identity transformation. Practical transformation, the essence of any mask performance ritual, enjoys universal and observable attributes. In such folk performances like Chhau and Gambhira of course the mask has long been a conduit in producing a new identity. Initially these performances were either agricultural or devotional-based, but later on they have been adapted to fit in the changing context.
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[Volume 4, Number 1,2021]