Malda(West Bengal): It is not just about the silk, jute and juicy mangoes. West Bengal's Malda district has much more to offer and one of the hidden gems from here is the folk art form of Gombhira.
Tucked in the bylanes of this bustling city is the small shop of Mohammed Hafiz. A one-time star performer of the Gombhira art form, Hafiz now barely makes his both ends meet with a solitary sewing machine.
According to researchers of folk art such as Sushmita Shome, the origin of the Gombhira can be traced back to the times when Buddhism flourished in eastern India and then spread to other parts of the country and then the world.
The districts of Dinajpur and Malda used to be part of Poundravardhan region, which was also later known as Barendrabhumi. People belonging to the Poundrik, Rajbanshi, Koch, and other tribes were the original inhabitants of this land and the culmination of all festivals of these tribes and sects is Gombhira.
Researchers have also shown that the art form derives its name from the word 'Gombhir' (poise) and when it comes to being worshiped, poise is closely associated with Shiva. Hence, Gombhira is an ode to Lord Shiva and that is the reason why most Gombhira plays have Shiva and Nandi as prominent characters. The art and culture of Barendrabhumi, currently known as Malda, as well as parts of the Dinajpur district, flourished during the rule of Pala and Sena dynasties in Bengal.
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Gombhira, though not performed with extremely colourful and flamboyant masks like the Chhau art form, has its own masks and has a storyline reflecting the current situations, problems and developments in the region. It is an art form that sends the message to the masses in the form of a musical.
Mostly performed, at end of the Bengali calendar year when the month of Chaitra ends and Boishakh begins, the Gombhira art form and allied ritual is divided into four distinct sections, the Ghot Bhora of filling up of the ceremonial pitcher, the Chhoto Tamasha or the smaller performances, the Boro Tamasha or the bigger performances and finally the Bolai or Ahar, which is the ceremonial feast.
Hafiz has been performing on the Gombhira stage for nearly 30 years, but had to quit the form as it fell from grace.
“I used to act as Nandi, the holy bull, the vahana of Shiva and the guardian deity of Kailash. It never occurred to me that I belonged to a different religion. Such was the case with many others. It is the performance that matters, nothing else. And people enjoyed the shows. They cried, laughed, appreciated and even got angry with the moves and the songs and dialogues. The artists and their rendition are all that matters in Gombhira,” said Hafiz, sitting outside his house in the Meer Chowk locality of Malda.
He has stopped performing partly owing to age and partly due to the non-patronage of the art form.The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a body blow to the Gombhira performance and the performers as well. Most shows have been either stopped or cancelled.
Hafiz, who has performed at the national as well as international stages for nearly three decades, says one of the ancient folk art forms of Bengal is facing a clear and present danger of getting wiped out due to negligence and non-patronage. He wishes that the state government should come forward in assisting the artists and thereby saving Gombhira.
