It’s Aalha time of the year

Artistes say Sawan marks the beginning of Aalha season, as they gear up for their annual meet in Rae Bareli and festival in Mahoba

LUCKNOW: Come Sawan and Aalha singers, who render the tale of gallantry of great warriors Aalha and Udal of Mahoba, begin to gear up for their annual meet in Baiswara Lalganj (Rae Bareli). Scattered in various parts of the state, they come together at one place, perform in their own styles and spend time planning ways and means to revive the art form and keep it going. Of late, these singers have also been also trying to connect the performances to contemporary tales , in keeping with the change in times..

Artistes say Sawan marks the beginning of the season of Aalha performances which continue till the moth of Phalgun in the Hindu calendar. Some also say that it is auspicious to render Aalha during the month. So many village chaupals host these performances.

“You wouldn’t find any Aalha artiste idle on the day of Nagpanchmi. It is a tradition in many villages to host Aalha performances on the day. The performances continue till Holi,” said Sunil Kumar Dixit, secretary of Uttar Pradesh Aalha Akademi.

After the meeting at Baiswara , the artistes meet once again at the week-long Aalha festival in Mahoba that starts a day after Rakshabandhan each year.

“This is an old tradition that has been continuing on for a century. All Aalha artistes from across the country come together at the Keerathsagar festival in Mahoba that begins a day after Rakshabandhan. During the week , there are renditions and discussions about the tradition and changes in the art form,” said Dixit.

“Sawan is the month of folk. Since farmers were free in Sawan after sowing paddy and movement became tough in villages due to rain, something was required by way of entertainment. Hence folk flourished in villages and the trend still continues,” said YP Singh, senior official in the state’s culture department.

There are currently less than 10 Aalha artistes in the state, according to Dixit. However, the numbers are growing. Through their regular annual meets, the artistes have succeeded in motivating children to learn the folk art . Aalha schools have been started in Baiswara, Mahoba and Maihar to promote the art form and train performers. Moreover, the art form is no longer limited to male performers. Girls are also joining the list of performers . In addition to the stories of Aalha and Udal, stories of Rani of Jhansi and others have been included in the repertoire. Sheelu Singh, a disciple of late Lallu Bajpai, one of the leading Aalha performers of

Sawan is the month of folk. Since farmers were free in Sawan after sowing paddy and movement became tough due to rain, something was required by way of entertainment. Hence folk flourished in villages and the trend still continues. YP SINGH, culture dept official

the country, is one such female performers of Aalha who also sings the tale of Rani of Jhansi in her performances.

Bindadin Yadav, another leading performer of Aalha in UP said , “I have given Aalha renditions on Kargil war, War of Independence and Draupadi Cheerharan episode of Mahabharat to highlight respect for women. We are trying to connect Aalha to contemporary tales to ensure that more youngsters join in.”