Men who don saris
The sound of the nagara drum echoes as men dressed in beautifully stitched Indian outfits sway their hips and sing and dance before an audience. Nagara dancing has been around for decades but only a handful of people are aware of its rich history. CHANELL
FOR years, nagara dancers have been misjudged.
People are quick to assume that the men who dress up and dance in women’s saris and punjabis are homosexual or gay. Most communities fail to understand where nagara stems from and its true meaning.
Nagara refers to the drum instruments played during performances. There are two drums, one big and the other small. Both let out a thunderous sound when hit with sticks.
The nagara, or the kettle drums, are referred to as a riverside instrument in India as they are made with clay from the banks of the River Ganges.
In ancient times, they were used to make important announcements or declarations.
Nowadays, they are used to create melodies which people sing and dance to.
In India, some men would play these and other instruments, while other men would dance.
In ancient times, the women, who used to perform alongside the male dancers, were looked down on and referred to as “women of the night”.
Hence, the men would dress and dance as women.
In the Hindu tradition, the nagara is performed after a prayer – the mother’s prayer.
Men dress as Saraswathi, the goddess of music and knowledge, and transform their image to that of a goddess.
They perform in front of a crowd, dancing along to, or singing, songs praising the mother.
In South Africa, Flash Entertainers are the oldest known nagara band.
A year short of his half-century innings, the band’s manager, Sanjoo Kelavan, said their nagara drum set was brought to South Africa by Indian labourers on the SS Truro in 1860.
“The set is more than 152 years old. As it is the oldest, it is like the grandfather of all nagaras in this country, because it is original.
“This was owned by my great-great-grandfather and it was passed on from generation to generation, so it has sentimental value to me,” he said.
Kelavan’s father, Mickey, formed Flash Entertainers along with a few colleagues with whom he worked with at Flash Clothing Manufacturers in Verulam.
“In the early 1960s, my father was the only one playing the nagara. He worked with a group of musicians who would play music during their breaks, and in 1968 my dad, together with friends and colleagues, was requested to play the nagara at a home in Estcourt. They did and since then have been known as Flash Entertainers.”
Some of the original members are still in the band.
There is performer Harry Rampersad, the oldest known nagara dancer in South Africa, and Babu Rampathey, who is the group’s legendary banjo player.
The group has grown since its inception 49 years ago.
They won the South African Traditional Music Achievements (Satma) award for Best Indian Album for four years (2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015).
Kelavan said they were always booked a year in advance as they were inundated with calls from families wanting them to perform at functions.
The group is busy gearing up for their next performance, a mega show featuring other nagara groups at the iZulu Theatre at Sibaya on August 11 and 12.