Pandavani Folk Ballads of Chhattisgarh

Pandavani (literally meaning 'songs of the Pandavas'), is a lyrical folk ballad form that narrates the story of the Pandavas. Pandavani theatre usually has a lead artist and some supporting singers and musicians. There are two styles of narration in Pandavani - Vedamati and Kapalik. In the Vedamati style, the lead artist narrates the story in a simple manner, sitting on the floor throughout the performance. The Kapalik style is livelier, with the narrator enacting the incidents and characters.

Ancient epics, anecdotes and stories are recounted or re-enacted to educate and entertain the masses in this theatre form. The singer-narrator may break into an impromptu dance at significant points of the narration like completion of an episode or celebration of a victory. No props are used in this form of theatre; the singer is usually supported by a group of performers on the harmonium, tabla, dholka and majira; two or three singers provide the refrain and vocal support.

Each singer has a unique style of singing, which comes from nuances like adding local words, improvising, or providing an insight into the story. Influences of Pandavani can be clearly seen in the plays of Habib Tanvir who used folk singers of Chhattisgarh in his plays, creating a free style story narration format, typical of Pandavani.

Teejan Bai and Ritu Verma are renowned singers of Pandvani. The origins of this singing style are not known; according to its foremost singer Teejan Bai, it might be as old as the Mahabharata itself, as very few people could read in those times and so the stories could have been passed on across generations through art forms like Pandavani.

Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and the MP Kala Parishad, Bhopal, have initiated the documentation and promotion of this theatre form, with the former holding several audiovisual documentation material.