Bhand
Encyclopedia
Bhānds are the traditional folk entertainers of India
, Pakistan
, Nepal
and Bangladesh
. In India
and Nepal
, the Bhand are now an endogamous
Muslim
community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists.
Payment for performances is usually voluntary: often, one performer goes around the audience collecting money on a "pay-what-you-can" basis while the others continue to perform. While most bhands belong to families that are engaged in folk entertainment as their hereditary profession, their specific art forms vary greatly by region, community and language. The term bhand itself can also mean both a specific dramatic story or an entire form/school of drama.
, the Bhand are an endogamous
Muslim
community. Their ancestors were employed at the court of the various local rulers as folk entertainers, in particular at the court of the Nawabs of Awadh. Most Bhand in Uttar Pradesh
are no longer involved with folk entertainment. What now binds the community is a sense of stigmaticism attached to the community on account of their ancestral occupation. They are now mainly involved in wage labour, many Lucknow
city are rickshaw puller. Little is known about the origin of this community, other than the fact that their ancestors were bhands. The community has now been granted Other Backward Class status, which gives the community some benefits with regards reservation in public sector jobs. They are Sunni Muslim
s, and speak Urdu
, and rarely dialects of Hindi. The Naqqal
sub-group has done better, and now prefer the self-designation Kashmiri Shaikh. They are now a community of successful businessmen.
region in which stories commemorating the lives of reshis (Islamic sages, or rishi
s) or more contemporary real or fictional figures are enacted. The storylines (or pathers) are often humorous and satirical, and farce
is an essential component of the plays.
format (ustad means master in Hindi-Urdu, while jamoora is an assistant or follower who is usually younger than the ustad) is a popular one in Hindi-speaking regions and involves only two bhand actors. Usually, the storylines consist of the ustad tutoring the jamoora to do or say something, and the jamoora responding with mechanical obedience with a subtle variation thrown in that creates a strong comical or satirical effect.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, the Bhand are now an endogamous
Endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists.
Payment for performances is usually voluntary: often, one performer goes around the audience collecting money on a "pay-what-you-can" basis while the others continue to perform. While most bhands belong to families that are engaged in folk entertainment as their hereditary profession, their specific art forms vary greatly by region, community and language. The term bhand itself can also mean both a specific dramatic story or an entire form/school of drama.
Bhand of Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, the Bhand are an endogamous
Endogamy
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community. Their ancestors were employed at the court of the various local rulers as folk entertainers, in particular at the court of the Nawabs of Awadh. Most Bhand in Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
are no longer involved with folk entertainment. What now binds the community is a sense of stigmaticism attached to the community on account of their ancestral occupation. They are now mainly involved in wage labour, many Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
city are rickshaw puller. Little is known about the origin of this community, other than the fact that their ancestors were bhands. The community has now been granted Other Backward Class status, which gives the community some benefits with regards reservation in public sector jobs. They are Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and speak Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, and rarely dialects of Hindi. The Naqqal
Naqqal
The Naqqal are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also known as the Kashmiri Bhand and recently as Kashmiri Shaikh. The Naqqal are a sub-group within the larger Bhand community. -Origin:...
sub-group has done better, and now prefer the self-designation Kashmiri Shaikh. They are now a community of successful businessmen.
Bhand Pather of Kashmir
Bhand Pather is a bhand of the KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
region in which stories commemorating the lives of reshis (Islamic sages, or rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
s) or more contemporary real or fictional figures are enacted. The storylines (or pathers) are often humorous and satirical, and farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
is an essential component of the plays.
Naqal of Punjab
Naqal (mimicry) is a strong bhand tradition in the Punjab region. The naqalchi (mimic, sometimes called the bahrupiya) adopts the persona of a well-known person or character and improvises, using satire and farce extensively, to entertain the audience.The Ustad and jamoora format
The ustad-jamooraJamoora
A jamoora or jamura is a performer who plays a specific type of sidekick role in the traditional folk theatre of India and Pakistan...
format (ustad means master in Hindi-Urdu, while jamoora is an assistant or follower who is usually younger than the ustad) is a popular one in Hindi-speaking regions and involves only two bhand actors. Usually, the storylines consist of the ustad tutoring the jamoora to do or say something, and the jamoora responding with mechanical obedience with a subtle variation thrown in that creates a strong comical or satirical effect.