ImportMaster: robot: import pages using Special:Import

2021-11-09T02:02:00Z

robot: import pages using Special:Import

New page

{{short description|Form of Indian folk theatre}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox dance
| name = Maach
| native_name = माच
| native_name_lang = hi
| etymology = ''manch'' ('stage' in Hindi)
| image = Maach Performance.jpg
| alt =
| caption = A Maach performance
| genre = Musical Theatre
| signature =
| instruments = [[sarangi]], [[harmonium]], [[dhol]]
| inventor = Gopalji Guru
| year =
| origin = [[Malwa]] region in [[India]]
}}

'''Maach''' is a form of [[Folk drama|folk theatre]] from the [[Malwa|Malwa region]] of the [[India]]n state of [[Madhya Pradesh]].<ref name="nsd">{{cite web|title=Rang Utsav – Maach|url=http://nsd.gov.in/nsd_tietours4.htm|publisher=National School of Drama|access-date=15 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228201523/http://nsd.gov.in/nsd_tietours4.htm|archive-date=28 February 2009}}</ref>

== Origin ==
Maach is thought to have originated from the [[Khyal|Khyal theatre]] form of [[Rajasthan]] which spread out of the state and is thought to have, besides itself and Maach, also given rise to other [[North India]]n folk theatre forms of [[Nautanki]] in Uttar Pradesh and [[Swang (dance drama)|Swang]] in Haryana.<ref name="publishing.cdlib">{{cite book|last=Hansen|first=Kathryn|title=Grounds for Play: The Nautanki Theatre of North India|year=1992|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|pages=65–68|url=http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft9v19p2qq&chunk.id=d0e1620&toc.id=d0e1620&brand=ucpress}}</ref> In Madhya Pradesh, Maach is said to have been introduced by Gopalji Guru who himself authored several Maach plays.<ref name="books.google">{{cite book|last=Brandon|first=James|title=The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|page=99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttnH5W9qoBAC&q=maach+malwa&pg=PA99|isbn=9780521588225}}</ref> Another hypothesis looks at the Maach as having originated from the Turra Kalagi troupes that accompanied the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha forces]] into [[Central India]] in the 18th and 19th centuries where it evolved into a staged performance replete with new stories, costumes, singing and dancing.<ref name="publishing.cdlib" />

== Themes ==
Maach derives its name from the [[Hindi]] word ''manch'' which means a stage.<ref name="publishing.cdlib" /> It is a sung folk theatre that has a semi sacred character, blending religious and secular themes within it. Many of the themes are historical, borrowing from local legends and tales of warriors and rulers but they also borrow from the [[Puranas]] and the Hindu epics of [[Mahabharata]] and [[Ramayana]]. The tales of Raja Gopichand, [[Prahlad]], [[Nala|Nala and Damayanti]] and the Malwan heroes Tejaji and Kedar Singh often feature in these plays. While they act as storehouses of local history and heritage, in recent years Maach performances have also focused on contemporary issues such as [[dacoity]], literacy and landless labour.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pande|first=Trilochan|title=FOLKLORE AS MASS MEDIA : AN INTRODUCTION|url=http://www.ciil-ebooks.net/html/folklore2/ch7.htm|access-date=15 June 2013}}</ref>

== Music ==
Music is a key element of Maach performances and draws extensively from [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani classical]] [[ragas]] with words and tunes set to reflect the season or occasion on which the play is staged.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sharma|first=Manorma|title=Musical Heritage of India|year=2007|publisher=APH Publishers|location=New Delhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nuWBch2jTqAC&q=maach+malwa&pg=PA118|isbn=9788131300466}}</ref> The [[sarangi]], [[harmonium]] and [[dhol]] are common accompaniments.<ref name="books.google_a">{{cite book|last=Banham|first=Martin|title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre|year=2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|page=657|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qMTPAPFGXUC&q=maach+theatre&pg=PA657|isbn=9780521434379}}</ref>

== Performances ==
Maach is thought to be a two or three century old tradition which was shaped by the religious developments of the 19th century. While originally associated with the festival of [[Holi]], it is now performed on many occasions. Although a form of theatre, acting is under-emphasised and the theme unfolds through the songs and dances in the play. The background of the play is set by curtains and the dancers usually double up as singers. It is a sung drama with only occasional use of speech.<ref name="books.google" /><ref name="kalakshetram">{{cite web|title=The Folk Theatre of MADHYA PRADESH|url=http://www.kalakshetram.com/dance.html|publisher=Kalakshetram|access-date=15 June 2013}}</ref>

Maach is performed on a raised stage or ''manch'' which gives it its name. Traditionally, all the roles were performed only by men who would also don the role of female characters. Since singing is an integral element of Maach, players are noted for their singing voice. Performances open with a rendered [[bhishti]] rag before proceeding on to a series of preliminary dances that set an [[overture]].<ref name="books.google" /><ref name="books.google_a" /> The performance incorporates several elements such as rhyme or ''vanag'', tune or ''rangat'' and dialogue or ''bol''.<ref>{{cite web|title=TRADITIONAL THEATRE FORMS OF INDIA |url=http://ccrtindia.gov.in/theatreforms.htm |publisher=Centre for Cultural Resources and Training |access-date=15 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515113554/http://ccrtindia.gov.in/theatreforms.htm |archive-date=15 May 2013 }}</ref> Plays begin much after sunset and go on into the early hours of dawn.<ref name="nsd" /> Humour in the plays are effected through the characters of a ''shemarkhan'' or ''bidhab'' who act as the king's advisor and the clown who plays a role akin to that of the ''[[Sutradharulu|sutradhar]]''.<ref name="books.google_a" /> The climax is often a colorful affair with the protagonists of the play often shown dancing amid clouds of coloured powder.<ref name="kalakshetram" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Dance Traditions of Madhya Pradesh|url=http://www.mptourandtravels.com/traditions_of_madhyapradesh.aspx|access-date=15 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822062044/http://www.mptourandtravels.com/traditions_of_madhyapradesh.aspx|archive-date=22 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Dance in India}}

[[Category:Culture of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian folk music]]
[[Category:Malwa]]
[[Category:Theatre in India]]
[[Category:Folk plays]]
[[Category:Musical theatre]]

Maach - Revision history

ImportMaster: robot: import pages using Special:Import