In the arena of performing arts in Orissa a silent transformation has taken place in the
rich and traditional form of folk song called ‘pala’. Any Oriya who has been blessed with the privilege of being
born and brought up in the rural or semi-urban belt of the state would vividly recall the humble group of five folk singers
clad in religious outfit singing out excerpts from literary Oriya verse, annotating and explaining its nuances in common
language.
In the pre-television era ‘pala’ served as one of the most sought
after forms of intellectual entertainment. People gathered in big numbers to watch and patronise 'pala' groups all around
the villages and towns. This valuable constituent of the great Orissan heritage in performing arts was considered to be being
on the verge of extinction a few decades back. Luckily this dying folk tradition has been resurrected after the entry of women
performers into the field.
Earlier the very possibility of a woman participating in a 'pala' troupe was an unthought-of
proposition. Now it has become a reality; so much so that today the 'pala' scene in Orissa is dominated by woman
singers in large numbers. It has interestingly added to the popularity of the folk form which was on the verge being written
off as a traditional form with no future.
The credit for ushering in the women’s era in 'pala' goes to Pandit Nimbudhr Padhi
of Sasanga village in Keonjhar District. Being himself a leading 'pala' gayak, the idea of imparting training in the folk
song to his daughter Rebati occurred to him in the mid-1970s. The performance of Rebati on stage stunned the audiences. It
opened up the prospect of including woman singers in other 'pala' groups. The trend continued to grow rapidly and now it has
reached a stage when the most popular 'pala' groups are those which exclusively consist of women singers only.
This transition of 'pala' into a women oriented song-form has brought about an evolution and
it can now be compared with the famous Padavani performance by Tijan Bai of Chhatisgarh. The woman pala singers
have today also emerged as the saviours of the popularity of Oriya literary verse written by eminent poets, especiallly of
the medieval era. It is by lending a voice to their poetic work in a raw and rustic tune that woman pala singers have been
able to reach the masses successfully. In the process they have also proved to be promoters of traditional values, as the
narratives from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the puranas presented by them with a touch of wit and humour have left a lasting
impression in the minds of their audiences.
Among the prominent woman performers of 'pala' we would like to mention the name of Kumudini
Patel of the Sambalpur district who inspite of being physically challenged with one of her legs maimed due to polio has been moving around from place to place performing 'pala' and earning applause for
her extrordinary talent and hard work. Some of the other woman artistes active in the field are Anjana Behera, Kumudini Panda,
Manorama Panda, Laxmi Priya Dash and Swarna Prabha Lenka. According to an estimate the number of woman ‘gayikas’
in pala troupes of Orissa is more than 200. The number would cross 400 if the women serving in the troupes
as ‘palias’ are also included.
It
is relieving that many of such 'pala' singers have been able to adopt it as a full time career. The assignments that come
their way have been reasonably remunerative. It has been encouraging more and more number of woman performers to
step into the field. What’s more important is that these outstanding women have been able to save 'pala' from the clutches
of extinction which their male counterparts failed to do at some point of time.
The cultural department of the government of Orissa should take notice of this silent
change of guard taking place in one of the oldest folk cultural forms of the state. Every possible measure should be taken
to encourage and promote these angels with ‘chamar’, ‘gini’ and ‘jhanja’ in hand bringing
about a silent cultural movement in Orissa. It is also the duty of the citizenry to patronise such 'pala' troupes in the spirit
of protecting the endangered cultural traditions of the state.
