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{{Short description|Bhojpuri playwright and Author}}
{{Short description|Bhojpuri playwright and Author}}
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'''Bhikari Thakur''' (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian [[Bhojpuri language]] poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, [[folk dance]]r, [[folk singer]] and social activist, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Bhojpuri Langauage and most popular folk writer of [[Purvanchal]] and [[Bihar]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leiter|first=Samuel L.|title=Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre: A-N|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2007|isbn=9780313335297|pages=61}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Journal of the Bihar Purāvid Parishad, Vol. 19-20|publisher=Bihar Purāvid Parishad|year=1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article3534122.ece|title=On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri|author=Shalaja Tripathi|publisher=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 June 2012|access-date=2 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Agra University Journal of Research: Letters, Volumes 1-5|publisher=Agra University|year=1952}}</ref> He is often called the "[[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] of Bhojpuri" and "Rai Bahadur".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre, Vol. VI|publisher=Raj Publication|year=2004|isbn=9788186208359}}</ref> His works consist of more than a dozen plays, [[Monologue]]s, Poems, [[Bhajan]]s which appeared in print as nearly three dozen books. His noteworthy works are [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], [[Gabarghichor]], [[Beti Bechwa]] and Bhai Birodh, Gabarghichor is often compared with [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s play ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Voice of the marginalised|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/bhikhari-thakur-voice-of-the-marginalised/article30931327.ece/amp/|website=THE Hindu}}</ref> He is also known as the father of the Bidesiya folk theatre tradition.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|year=2016|isbn=978-1315448039|pages=74}}</ref>
'''Bhikari Thakur''' (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian [[Bhojpuri language]] poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, [[folk dance]]r, [[folk singer]] and social activist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in Bhojpuri language and most popular folk writer of [[Purvanchal]] and [[Bihar]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leiter|first=Samuel L.|title=Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre: A-N|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2007|isbn=9780313335297|pages=61}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Journal of the Bihar Purāvid Parishad, Vol. 19-20|publisher=Bihar Purāvid Parishad|year=1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article3534122.ece|title=On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri|author=Shalaja Tripathi|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=16 June 2012|access-date=2 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Agra University Journal of Research: Letters, Volumes 1-5|publisher=Agra University|year=1952}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Banham|first1=Martin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qMTPAPFGXUC&dq=Bhikhari+thakur&pg=PA105|title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre|last2=Brandon|first2=James R.|date=1995-09-21|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-43437-9|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lal|first1=Ananda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DftkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhikhari+thakur|title=The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre|last2=Lal|first2=Reader in English Ananda|date=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564446-3|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Law|first=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXMsAQAAQBAJ&dq=bhikhari+thakur&pg=PT131|title=The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre|date=2013-10-28|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4081-4591-3|language=en}}</ref> He is often called the "[[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] of Bhojpuri" and "Rai Bahadur".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre, Vol. VI|publisher=Raj Publication|year=2004|isbn=9788186208359}}</ref> His works consist of more than a dozen plays, [[Monologue]]s, Poems, [[Bhajan]]s which appeared in print as nearly three dozen books. His noteworthy works are [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], [[Gabarghichor]], [[Beti Bechwa]] and Bhai Birodh, Gabarghichor is often compared with [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s play ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Voice of the marginalised|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/bhikhari-thakur-voice-of-the-marginalised/article30931327.ece/amp/|website=THE Hindu|date=27 February 2020|last1=Bajeli|first1=Diwan Singh}}</ref> He is also known as the father of the naach folk theatre tradition.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|year=2016|isbn=978-1315448039|pages=74}}</ref> He is also credited as the first person to cast male actors in female roles.<ref name=":0" />


Thakur was born and raised in Kutubpur village of [[Saran district|Saran]], in his adolescent he married to Matuna from which he had only one son: Shilanath Thakur. In the early 1900s, he started his career as an actor, writer, singer and dancer. he remained active till his death in 1971. He published most of his works between 1938 to 1962. His early works were dialogues and musical plays, later he wrote some philosophical works, [[Bhajan]]s, Harikirtans and other poems.
Thakur was born and raised in Kutubpur village of [[Saran district|Saran]], in his adolescence he married Matuna from whom he had only one son: Shilanath Thakur. In the early 1900s, he started his career as an actor, writer, singer and dancer. He remained active till his death in 1971. He published most of his works between 1938 and 1962. His early works were dialogues and musical plays, later he wrote some philosophical works, [[Bhajan]]s, Harikirtans and other poems.


==Life==
==Life==


===Early life===
===Early life===
Thakur was born in a barber family on 18 December 1887 in Kutubpur village of [[Chhapra]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=जयंती विशेष: भोजपुरी के 'शेक्सपियर' भिखारी ठाकुर की 10 बड़ी बातें|work=Aaj Tak|url=https://www.aajtak.intoday.in/lite/story/facts-about-shakespeare-of-bhojpuri-bhikhari-thakur-tpral-1-1047658.html}}</ref><ref name="first">{{Cite book|title=Indian Literature, vol. 44|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2000}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Sangeet Natak, Volume 37|publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi|year=2002|pages=49}}</ref> Initially his village was the part of [[Shahabad district]] (present [[Bhojpur district, India|Bhojpur]]) but later (in 1926) due to the change in the course of the [[Ganges]] got saperated from Shahabad and became the part of Saran district, his maternal grandmother's house remained in [[Arrah]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Durgashankar Prasad|title=Bhojpuri ke Kavi aur Kavya|publisher=Kalika press|year=|isbn=|location=Patna|pages=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|year=2000|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|isbn=81-85377-41-3|location=Allahabad|pages=25}}</ref> He was the son of Dalsingar Thakur, who was a barber by profession and his mother's name was Sivkali Devi. Bhikhari Thakur was elder of the two sons, the name of his younger brother was Bahor Thakur. Due to the poor condition of his family, Thakur did not even manage to complete his primary education. He only had the knowledge of the [[Kaithi]] alphabets and [[Ramcharitmanas]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!|work=Amar Ujala|url=https://www.amarujala.com/news-archives/india-news-archives/bhikhari-thakur-shakespear-of-bhojpuri}}</ref> In his adolescence, he married Matuna, in 1921 Matuna gave birth to a son, Shilanath Thakur.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|date=Aashu Prakashan|location=Allahabad|pages=28}}</ref> He used to graze cattle in his childhood and when he grew up he had to adopt his family profession of a Barber. However, he wanted to do something else and did not want to do the job of Barber. He shifted from his village to the neighboring village named Fatanpur. After that, he left his family and went to [[Kharagpur]] in the search of job.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sulabh|first=Hrishikesh|title=Rangmanch Ka Jantantra|date=January 2009|publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan|isbn=9788126717842|pages=99}}</ref> From there he went to [[Medinipur]] and started doing some job. He used to watch the [[Ramlila]], and from there he got the inspiration to write and act in plays. He returned to his village formed a drama company and started performing Ramilia.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Choubey|first=Devendra|title=Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra|publisher=Kitabghar Publication|isbn=9788189859114|pages=342}}</ref>
Thakur was born in a barber family on 18 December 1887 in Kutubpur or Qutubpur<ref name=":1" /> diyara village of [[Chhapra]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=जयंती विशेष: भोजपुरी के 'शेक्सपियर' भिखारी ठाकुर की 10 बड़ी बातें|work=Aaj Tak|url=https://www.aajtak.intoday.in/lite/story/facts-about-shakespeare-of-bhojpuri-bhikhari-thakur-tpral-1-1047658.html}}</ref><ref name="first">{{Cite book|title=Indian Literature, vol. 44|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2000}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Sangeet Natak, Volume 37|publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi|year=2002|pages=49}}</ref> Initially his village was the part of [[Shahabad district]] (present [[Bhojpur district, India|Bhojpur]]) but later (in 1926) due to the change in the course of the [[Ganges]] got separated from Shahabad and became the part of Saran district, his maternal grandmother's house remained in [[Arrah]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Durgashankar Prasad|title=Bhojpuri ke Kavi aur Kavya|publisher=Kalika press|year=|isbn=|location=Patna|pages=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|year=2000|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|isbn=81-85377-41-3|location=Allahabad|pages=25}}</ref> He was the son of Dalsingar Thakur, who was a barber by profession. His mother's name was Sivkali Devi. Bhikhari Thakur was the elder of two sons, the younger one was Bahor Thakur. Due to family poverty, Thakur could not even complete his primary education. He had knowledge of only [[Kaithi]] alphabets and [[Ramcharitmanas]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!|work=Amar Ujala|url=https://www.amarujala.com/news-archives/india-news-archives/bhikhari-thakur-shakespear-of-bhojpuri}}</ref> In his adolescence, he married Matuna, who birth to a son, Shilanath Thakur in 1911.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad |title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu |publisher=Aashu Prakashan |location=Allahabad|pages=28}}</ref> In his childhood he used to graze cattle. When he grew up he had to adopt his family profession of a barber. However, he wanted to do something else, and so he shifted from his village to the neighboring Fatanpur village. In 1914, when Thakur was 27 years old, famine struck his village. After that he left his family in search of job, and went to [[Kharagpur]], where his uncle had also migrated before.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sulabh|first=Hrishikesh|title=Rangmanch Ka Jantantra|date=January 2009|publisher=Rajkamal Prakashan|isbn=9788126717842|pages=99}}</ref><ref name=":1" />
 
From Kharagpur, he went to [[Puri]] and then [[Calcutta]], and followed his traditional occupation of cutting hair. This was the first time, He realised that the country in which he lives is [[Hindustan]] and is ruled by the [[British Raj|Angrej]]. He used to watch the [[Ramlila]], and from there he got the inspiration to write and act in plays. He also watched "Silema" (Cinema) for the first time and met Babulal, a person from Bihar who used to run a "naach hall".<ref name=":1" /> He returned to his village formed a drama company and started performing Ramlila.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Choubey|first=Devendra|title=Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra|publisher=Kitabghar Publication|isbn=9788189859114|pages=342}}</ref>


===Career===
===Career===


In the early part of twentieth century, he returned to his village and started presenting [[Ramlila]] with a small troop, but was opposed and blocked by Upper Caste Hindus to perform such an important religious text by people with lower caste.<ref name="Prakash">{{Cite journal|last=Prakash|first=Brahma|date=2016|title=Performing "Bidesiyā" in Bihar: Strategy for Survival, Strategies for Performance|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24737156|journal=Asian Theatre Journal|volume=33|issue=1|pages=57–81|doi=10.1353/atj.2016.0023|jstor=24737156}}</ref> After that, Bhikhari Thakur formed a theatrical company and started writing and directing plays by his own. Most of his plays used to revolve around the plight of women, village folks and confrontation between old values and modern values.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra|isbn=9788189859114|last1=Choubey|first1=Devendra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinha|first=Biswajit|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre: pt.1-2. Rabindranath Tagore|publisher=Raj Publication|year=2000|isbn=9788186208359|pages=89}}</ref> The first play written by Bhikhari Thakur was [[Biraha Bahar]], he wrote his most famous play [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]] in 1917, when he was 30 years old. Between 1938 to 1962, more than three dozen books of Bhikhari Thakur published. Most of the books published from Dudhnath Press ([[Howrah]]) and Kachaudi Gali ([[Varanasi]]).<ref name="second">{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|date=Aashu Prakashan|location=Allahabad|pages=29}}</ref>
In early part of twentieth century, Bhikari Thakur returned to his village and started presenting [[Ramlila]] with a small troupe. But upper caste Hindus opposed performance of such important religious texts by lower caste people like Thakur.<ref name="Prakash">{{Cite journal|last=Prakash|first=Brahma|date=2016|title=Performing "Bidesiyā" in Bihar: Strategy for Survival, Strategies for Performance|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24737156|journal=Asian Theatre Journal|volume=33|issue=1|pages=57–81|doi=10.1353/atj.2016.0023|jstor=24737156|s2cid=163187967}}</ref> Therefore, Thakur formed a theatrical company and started writing and directing plays by his own. Most of his plays used to revolve around the plight of women, village folks and confrontation between old values and modern values.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra|isbn=9788189859114|last1=Choubey|first1=Devendra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinha|first=Biswajit|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre: pt.1-2. Rabindranath Tagore|publisher=Raj Publication|year=2000|isbn=9788186208359|pages=89}}</ref> The first play written by Thakur was [[Biraha Bahar]]. He wrote his most famous play [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]] in 1917, when he was 30 years old. Between 1938 and 1962, more than three dozen books of Bhikhari Thakur were published. Most of the books were published by Dudhnath Press ([[Howrah]]) and Kachaudi Gali ([[Varanasi]]).<ref name="second">{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad |title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu |publisher=Aashu Prakashan |location=Allahabad|pages=29}}</ref>


He impressed people all over [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bengal]] by his performances.<ref name="first" /> He used to visit place to place with the artists of his theatre company to perform at marriages and other events and used to charge a lump sum.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Garagi|first=Balawanta|title=Theatre in India|publisher=Theatre Arts Books|year=1962|pages=147}}</ref> A humongous number of people would gather to watch his plays, especially for Bidesiya, whenever and wherever Bidesiya was staged and played, there used to be an uncontrollable crowd.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Misra|first=Ram Baksh|title=Sociology of Bhojpuri Language|publisher=Swasti Publications|year=2003}}</ref> Owing to his popularity, people started selling pirated copies of his books and even such books that were not written by him, for this he had to write "Bhikhari Pustika Suchi", which had the list and details of all of his published works. He also wrote "Bhikhari Shanka Shamadhan" to clear fake news that was spreading about him.<ref name="second"/>
He impressed people all over [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bengal]] by his performances.<ref name="first" /> He used to visit place to place with the artists of his theatre company to perform at marriages and other events and used to charge a lump sum.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Garagi|first=Balawanta|title=Theatre in India|publisher=Theatre Arts Books|year=1962|pages=147}}</ref> He went to [[Arrah]], [[Ballia]], [[Muzaffarpur]], [[Gorakhpur]], Jaunpur, [[Jharia]] and as far as [[Dibrugarh]] in Assam to perform. However, despite of his popularity, he also faced disdain for his low caste and for performing [[Launda Naach]] by dressing himself in women clothes.<ref name=":1" /> A humongous number of people would gather to watch his plays, especially for Bidesiya, whenever and wherever Bidesiya was staged and played, there used to be an uncontrollable crowd.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Misra|first=Ram Baksh|title=Sociology of Bhojpuri Language|publisher=Swasti Publications|year=2003}}</ref> Thakur's plays were so impactful that, There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead of docilely marrying the old men their parents have taken money from.
 
Owing to his popularity, people started selling pirated copies of his books and even such books that were not written by him, for this he had to write "Bhikhari Pustika Suchi", which had the list and details of all of his published works. He also wrote "Bhikhari Shanka Shamadhan" to clear fake news that was spreading about him.<ref name="second" />


=== Last years and death ===
=== Last years and death ===
In 1963, Bhojpuri movie [[Bidesiya (1963 Film)|Bidesiya]] released which was based on his play, in the movie Bhikhari Thakur made a special appearance in the song "Hasi Hasi Panwa Khiyawale Baimanwa". Thakur died on 10 July 1971.
In 1946, [[Cholera]] swept his village in which his wife died when he was touring for one his shows. His mother also died when he was touring.<ref name=":1" /> In 1963, Bhojpuri movie [[Bidesiya (1963 Film)|Bidesiya]] released which was based on his play, in the movie Bhikhari Thakur made a special appearance, where he recited his own poem "Dagaria johat na". Thakur died on 10 July 1971.


==Theatrical Company==
==Theatrical Company==


In the early 20th century, Bhikhari formed his own theater company against the wills of his parents.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Banham|first1=Martin|title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre|last2=Brandon|first2=James R.|publisher=Cambridge university press|year=1995|isbn=9780521434379|pages=105}}</ref> In early days, the company used to perform only [[Ramlila]] but later it started staging plays written by Bhikhari Thakur. Most of the played were performed in open sky on an elevated platform surrounded by audience. The company had group of skilled singers, dancers and actors. Some notable names are [[Ramchandra Manjhi]] (dancer), Mahendra (singer),  Ram Lacchan and Juthan were [[comedian]]s, musicians were Ghinawan ([[Dholak]]), Tafzul (Tal), Alijan ([[Sarangi]]) and Jagdeo ([[Harmonium]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2000|pages=70}}</ref>
In the early 20th century, Bhikhari formed his own theater company against his parents' will.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Banham|first1=Martin|title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre|last2=Brandon|first2=James R.|publisher=Cambridge university press|year=1995|isbn=9780521434379|pages=105}}</ref> In early days, his company used to perform only [[Ramlila]], but later it started staging plays written by himself. Most of his plays were performed under open sky on an elevated platform surrounded by audience. His company had skilled singers, dancers and actors. Some notable names are [[Ramchandra Manjhi]] (dancer), Mahendra (singer),  Ram Lacchan and Juthan were [[comedian]]s, musicians were Ghinawan ([[Dholak]]), Tafzul (Tal), Alijan ([[Sarangi]]) and Jagdeo ([[Harmonium]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Bhagwati Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2000|pages=70}}</ref>


In those days, due to [[Parda system]], it was very hard for women to perform in plays, Bhikhari Thakur included the [[Launda Naach|Launda dancers]] to cast them as women in his plays. Later it became one of the greatest attractions of his plays, in January 2021 government of India feliciated [[Ramchandra Manjhi]], a Launda dancer of his company with [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian honour of India.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Padma Shri Ramchandra Manjhi and Dulari Devi: Tale of two artists, and of art, caste and grit in Bihar|work=The Indian Express|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/india/tale-of-two-padma-shri-winners-of-art-caste-and-grit-in-bihar-7167011/lite/|url-status=live}}</ref>
In those days, due to [[Parda system]], it was very hard for women to perform in plays, Bhikhari Thakur included the [[Launda Naach|Launda dancers]] to cast them as women in his plays. Later it became one of the greatest attractions of his plays. In January 2021 government of India felicitated [[Ramchandra Manjhi]], a Launda dancer of his company with [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian honour of India.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Padma Shri Ramchandra Manjhi and Dulari Devi: Tale of two artists, and of art, caste and grit in Bihar|work=The Indian Express|url=https://www.indianexpress.com/article/india/tale-of-two-padma-shri-winners-of-art-caste-and-grit-in-bihar-7167011/lite/|url-status=live}}</ref>


== Works ==
== Works ==
{{See also|Bibliography of Bhikhari Thakur}}
{{See also|Bibliography of Bhikhari Thakur}}
Most of the works of Bhikhari Thakur was based on the problem of the society like plight of the migrants and women, poverty, Mother's love, etc.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Golmej|publisher=Vani Prakashan|pages=97}}</ref> Bhikhari Thakur published almost 3 dozens Books and Bookelts in his career.  
Bhikhari Thakur's works were mostly based on the problems of society like plight of the migrants and women, poverty etc.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Golmej|publisher=Vani Prakashan|pages=97}}</ref> Thakur published almost 3 dozen books and booklets in his career.  
His published and unpublished works were compiled by '''Bhikhari Thakur Aashram''' and published in three parts as '''Bhikhari Thakur Granthavali'''. The first part was published in 1979 in which his five plays are compiled namely, [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], Bhai Birodh, [[Beti Bechwa]], Kaljug Prem and Radheshyam Bahar. The second part was published in 1986 in which five more plays are there, namely Putra Badh, [[Gabarghichor]], Nanad-Bhaujai, Ganga Asnan and Bidhwa Bilaap. The third and last part have his other plays, songs and monologues.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2005|location=Allahabad|pages=38}}</ref>
His published and unpublished works were compiled by '''Bhikhari Thakur Aashram''' and published in three parts as '''Bhikhari Thakur Granthavali'''. The first part was published in 1979 in which his five plays are compiled namely, [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], Bhai Birodh, [[Beti Bechwa]], Kaljug Prem and Radheshyam Bahar. The second part was published in 1986 in which five more plays are there, namely Putra Badh, [[Gabarghichor]], Nanad-Bhaujai, Ganga Asnan and Bidhwa Bilaap. The third and last part has his other plays, songs and monologues.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2005|location=Allahabad|pages=38}}</ref>


== Style and Contributions ==
== Style and Contributions ==
Plays of Bhikhari Thakur were different from modern plays of the 20th century, which used to have dialogues only, in spite of this, the plays of Thakur were closer to the style used in classical [[Sanskrit theatre]] and [[Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] style, which used to contain songs and dialogues both.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Gomez|publisher=Vani Prakashan|pages=97}}</ref> Plays written by Thakur imbibed many principles from the Classical Indian Theatre.For example, His plays used to start with ''maṃgalācaran'' which is an essential part of Sanskrit plays in which prayers are dedicated to [[Ganapati]] and [[Saraswati]], asking for the blessings[[Saraswati|.]] They also had ''Samājī'' which is equivalent to ''Shutradhāra'' of Sanskrit theatre and [[Greek chorus|Chorus]] of [[Greek Theatre]]. The samaji used to explain about the play in the [[Prologue]], its characters and used to draw example parallel to [[Hindu mythology]].<ref name="Chaturvedi">{{Cite news|last=Chaturvedi|first=Namrata|title="BIDESIA" – THE FOLK THEATRE OF EASTERN INDIA|work=The Theatre Times|url=https://www.thetheatretimes.com/bidesia-folk-theatre-eastern-india/}}</ref> Another important part of his plays were '''labār''' which are known as '''viduṣak''' in Indian classical theatre, who used to come in the middle of the play just to entertain the audience by doing some comedy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|pages=76}}</ref> The characters of the plays of Bhikhari Thakur are of types representing the general rather than the particular. For example, in the play [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], the character of ''Bidesi'' represents all the young men who used to go to Assam and Bengal for earning. Similarly ''Batohi'' means ''Traveller'' and represents a random person who is going to Kolkata.<ref name="Chaturvedi"/>
Bhikhari Thakur's plays were different from typical modern plays of the 20th century, which used to have dialogues only. Thakur's plays were closer to the style used in classical [[Sanskrit theatre]] and [[Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] style, which contained both songs and dialogues.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Gomez|publisher=Vani Prakashan|pages=97}}</ref> Plays written by Thakur imbibed many principles from the Classical Indian Theatre. For example, his plays used to start with ''maṃgalācaran'' which is an essential part of Sanskrit plays in which prayers are dedicated to [[Ganapati]] and [[Saraswati]], asking for the blessings. They also had ''Samājī'' which is equivalent to ''Shutradhāra'' of Sanskrit theatre and [[Greek chorus|Chorus]] of [[Greek Theatre]]. The samaji used to explain about the play in the [[Prologue]], its characters and used to draw example parallel to [[Hindu mythology]].<ref name="Chaturvedi">{{Cite news|last=Chaturvedi|first=Namrata|title="BIDESIA" – THE FOLK THEATRE OF EASTERN INDIA|work=The Theatre Times|url=https://www.thetheatretimes.com/bidesia-folk-theatre-eastern-india/}}</ref> Another important part of his plays were '''labār''' which are known as '''viduṣak''' in Indian classical theatre, who used to come in the middle of the play just to entertain the audience by doing some comedy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|pages=76}}</ref> The characters of the plays of Bhikhari Thakur are of types representing the general rather than the particular. For example, in the play [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]], the character of ''Bidesi'' represents all the young men who used to go to Assam and Bengal for earning. Similarly ''Batohi'' means ''Traveller'' and represents a random person who is going to Kolkata.<ref name="Chaturvedi"/>


He incorporated everything that he found appropriate and exciting from other popular theatre in his plays. His Bidesiya is the blend of religious, secular, [[Tragedy]], [[Comedy]], traditional and modern theatre genre. He also included instruments like [[Tabla]], [[Harmonium]], [[Dholak]], [[Sitar]], [[Cymbal|Jhal]], and [[Flute|Bansi]]. He also adopted all the popular Bhojpuri Folk songs genre in his plays like [[Biraha]], Purbi, [[Kajari]], Alha, Fagua, Chaita, Sorathi, Chaubola etc.<ref name="Prakash" /> He also created a new form of [[Chhand (poetry)|Chhand]] which are called ''Bidesiya Chhand'', unlike the chhands in vernaculars, which are [[Matrika metre|Matrik]], Bidesiya chhand is ''Varnik'' or syllabic like classical sanskrit poetry, which have 32 syllables in each line like ''Ghankashari Chhanda'' of Sanskrit.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shandilya|first=Rajeshwari|title=Bhojpuri Lokgeetan me geeti tatva|publisher=Bhojpuri Sansthan|year=2001|location=Patna|pages=189}}</ref> For example in [[Bidesiya (Play)|Bidesiya]], ''Pyari'' is expounding her husband's appearance to ''Batohi'':<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur Rachnawali: Part 1|publisher=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram|year=1979|location=Qutubpur (Saran)|pages=33}}</ref>
He incorporated everything that he found appropriate and exciting from other popular theatre in his plays. His Bidesiya is the blend of religious, secular, [[Tragedy]], [[Comedy]], traditional and modern theatre genre. He also included instruments like [[Tabla]], [[Harmonium]], [[Dholak]], [[Sitar]], [[Cymbal|Jhal]], and [[Flute|Bansi]]. He also adopted all the popular Bhojpuri Folk songs genre in his plays like [[Biraha]], Purbi, [[Kajari]], Alha, Fagua, Chaita, Sorathi, Chaubola etc.<ref name="Prakash" /> He also created a new form of [[Chhand (poetry)|Chhand]] which is called ''Bidesiya Chhand'', unlike the chhands in vernaculars, which are [[Matrika metre|Matrik]], Bidesiya chhand is ''Varnik'' or syllabic like classical Sanskrit poetry, which have 32 syllables in each line like ''Ghankashari Chhanda'' of Sanskrit.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shandilya|first=Rajeshwari|title=Bhojpuri Lokgeetan me geeti tatva|publisher=Bhojpuri Sansthan|year=2001|location=Patna|pages=189}}</ref> For example, in [[Bidesiya (Play)|Bidesiya]], ''Pyari'' is expounding her husband's appearance to ''Batohi'':<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur Rachnawali: Part 1|publisher=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram|year=1979|location=Qutubpur (Saran)|pages=33}}</ref>


{{quote|<poem>Kariyā nā gor bāte, lāmā nāhi hawan nāte (17),
{{blockquote|<poem>Kariyā nā gor bāte, lāmā nāhi hawan nāte (17),
Majilā jawān sām sundar batohiyā(15)...</poem>
Majilā jawān sām sundar batohiyā(15)...</poem>
|Bhikhari Thakur
|Bhikhari Thakur
|''Bidesiya''|source=Scene IV}}
|''Bidesiya''|source=Scene IV}}


==Messages==
==Messages and Impact==
The plays and songs of Bhikhari Thakur depict the evils that were corroding the society.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bihar District Gazetteers: Saran|publisher=Superintendent, Secretariat Press|year=1960|location=Bihar|pages=116}}</ref> Bidesiya depicts the pain of a woman whose husband leaves her and marries another woman, Beti Bechwa depicts the practice of unequal marriage,  Bidhwa Bilaap depicts that a widow is treated and cheated by the society and her family. Besides social problems, Thakur has also talked about the separation of joint families in Bhai Birodh and Nanad-Bhaujai. In Kaljug Prem or Piyawa Nasaïl, he has shown the consequences of drinking and impact on the family. In Putrabadh, a [[Stepmother]] plans to kill her [[Stepson]]. Ganga Asnan exposes the frauds of the dhongi Brahmins.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Mahesvari Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|location=Allahabad|pages=50–54}}</ref>
The plays and songs of Bhikhari Thakur depict the evils that were corroding the society.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bihar District Gazetteers: Saran|publisher=Superintendent, Secretariat Press|year=1960|location=Bihar|pages=116}}</ref> Bidesiya depicts the pain of a woman whose husband leaves her and marries another woman, Beti Bechwa depicts the practice of unequal marriage,  Bidhwa Bilaap depicts that a widow is treated and cheated by the society and her family. Besides social problems, Thakur has also talked about the separation of joint families in Bhai Birodh and Nanad-Bhaujai. In Kaljug Prem or Piyawa Nasaïl, he has shown the consequences of drinking and impact on the family. In Putrabadh, a [[Stepmother]] plans to kill her [[Stepson]]. Ganga Asnan exposes the frauds of the dhongi Brahmins.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dwiwedi|first=Mahesvari Prasad|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|location=Allahabad|pages=50–54}}</ref> His plays and songs did the biggest impact on the caste system.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WX6CDwAAQBAJ&dq=Bhikhari+thakur&pg=PA317|title=Waiting in the Wild|date=2019-01-20|publisher=Educreation Publishing|language=en}}</ref>
 
He started a social movement by his plays. There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead of docilely marrying the old men their parents have taken money from. In Nautanwa village in Uttar Pradesh, after the play was staged there, the villagers sent back a [[Baraat]] of an old bridegroom. After a performance in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, some members of the audience marched to a nearby temple and took an oath that they would stop this practice.<ref name=":1" />


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
* Thakur made a special appearance in a song of Bhojpuri movie [[Bidesiya (film)|Bidesiya]] in 1963.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Patel|first=Raviraj|title=Bhojpuri Filmon Ka Safanama}}</ref> In the film, Thakur recites his own poetry, writes Avijit Ghosh in his book, Cinema Bhojpuri.
Thakur made a special appearance in a song of Bhojpuri movie [[Bidesiya (film)|Bidesiya]] in 1963.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Patel|first=Raviraj|title=Bhojpuri Filmon Ka Safanama}}</ref> In the film, Thakur recites his own poetry.<ref>''Cinema Bhojpuri'' by Abhijit Das</ref>


== Critical Reputation ==
== Critical Reputation ==
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{{Quote box|quote=<poem>𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂥𑂷𑂪𑂲 𑂧𑂵 𑂍𑂞𑂢𑂰 𑂔𑂷𑂩 𑂥𑂰, 𑂆 𑂮𑂦 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂍𑂵 𑂢𑂰𑂗𑂍 𑂧𑂵 𑂠𑂵𑂎𑂲𑂪𑂰𑃀 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂃𑂢𑂏𑂜 𑂯𑂲𑂩𑂰 𑂯𑂫𑂵𑂁, 𑂯𑂳𑂢𑂍𑂰 𑂧𑂵𑂁 𑂍𑂳𑂪𑂱 𑂏𑂳𑂝 𑂥𑂰, 𑂎𑂰𑂪𑂲 𑂉𑂢𑂵 𑂋𑂢𑂵, 𑂞𑂢𑂲 𑂧𑂳𑂢𑂲 𑂓𑂰𑂁𑂗𑂵 𑂍𑂵 𑂍𑂰𑂧 𑂯𑂫𑂵
{{Quote box|quote=<poem>𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂥𑂷𑂪𑂲 𑂧𑂵 𑂍𑂞𑂢𑂰 𑂔𑂷𑂩 𑂥𑂰, 𑂆 𑂮𑂦 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂍𑂵 𑂢𑂰𑂗𑂍 𑂧𑂵 𑂠𑂵𑂎𑂲𑂪𑂰𑃀 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂃𑂢𑂏𑂜 𑂯𑂲𑂩𑂰 𑂯𑂫𑂵𑂁, 𑂯𑂳𑂢𑂍𑂰 𑂧𑂵𑂁 𑂍𑂳𑂪𑂱 𑂏𑂳𑂝 𑂥𑂰, 𑂎𑂰𑂪𑂲 𑂉𑂢𑂵 𑂋𑂢𑂵, 𑂞𑂢𑂲 𑂧𑂳𑂢𑂲 𑂓𑂰𑂁𑂗𑂵 𑂍𑂵 𑂍𑂰𑂧 𑂯𑂫𑂵
We can clearly see the power of our language in the plays of Bhikhari Thakur. Bhikhari Thakur is our uncut diamond, he has all the talents, however we need to arrange it properly.
We can clearly see the power of our language in the plays of Bhikhari Thakur. Bhikhari Thakur is our uncut diamond, he has all the talents, however we need to arrange it properly.
</poem>|}}In 1944, Bihar Government gave him the title of ''Rai Bahadur'' or ''Rai Sahab''<ref>There is a debate of the exact name of the title, whether it was "Rai Bahaur" or "Rai Sahab". Some scholars also believe that the award was only announced but he never received it.</ref> and was felicited with a Copper Shield.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2005|location=Allahabad|pages=23}}</ref>
</poem>|}}
 
In 1944, Bihar Government gave him the title of ''Rai Bahadur'' or ''Rai Sahab''<ref>There is a debate of the exact name of the title, whether it was "Rai Bahaur" or "Rai Sahab". Some scholars also believe that the award was only announced but he never received it.</ref> and was felicitated with a Copper Shield.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|year=2005|location=Allahabad|pages=23}}</ref> [[Kalpana Patowary]], the famous Bhojpuri folk singer from [[Assam]], who has compiled Thakur's songs in the album named [[The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur]], has commented on Thakur that:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Giri|first=Ananta Kumar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9cWEAAAQBAJ&dq=Bhikhari+thakur&pg=PA354|title=Cross-Fertilizing Roots and Routes: Identities, Social Creativity, Cultural Regeneration and Planetary Realizations|date=2021-01-23|publisher=Springer Nature|isbn=978-981-15-7118-3|language=en}}</ref>
 
{{Quote box
| quote = <poem>Thakur's songs and music bring closer to the heart the hardship of the individual in the search of work, home and family. That home and family is always Bhojpuri.
</poem>|
}}


== Adaptations of works ==
== Adaptations of works ==
* The Bhojpuri [[Bidesiya (1963 Film)|Bidesiya]] film released in 1963 was based on his play.
* The Bhojpuri films [[Bidesiya (1963 Film)|Bidesiya]] (1963) and ''Bidesiya'' (2007) were based on his play.
*His written song ''Ae Sajni re'' was one of the songs of the 2005 Bollywood film [[Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rai|first=Sandeep|title=Aesthetics and Politics: Two Leading Bhojpuri Artists|publisher=Becomeshakespeare.com|year=2021|isbn=9789390543519}}</ref>
* The song ''Ae Sajni re'' written by Thakur was recreated in 2005 [[Bollywood]] film [[Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi]] and 2007 Bhojpuri film ''Bidediya''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rai|first=Sandeep|title=Aesthetics and Politics: Two Leading Bhojpuri Artists|publisher=Becomeshakespeare.com|year=2021|isbn=9789390543519}}</ref>
*The Bidesiya theatre genre also influenced theatres of other languages other than [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], Rūpasēna of Kannada and Harikesh Muluk play of Hindi are written in the Bidesiya style.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|pages=77}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Tradition of Kannada Theatre|publisher=IBH Prakashana|year=1986}}</ref>
* The song ''Kholu Kholu Dhaniya'' from his play [[Bidesiya (play)|Bidesiya]] was recreated in the 2007 Bhojpuri film ''Bidesiya''.
*[[The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur]] is a music album composed of nine songs written by Bhikhari Thakur and sung by [[Kalpana Patowary]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tripathi|first=Shailaja|title=On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/on-the-shakespeare-of-bhojpuri/article3534122.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Bidesiya theatre genre also influenced theatres of other languages other than [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], Rūpasēna of Kannada and Harikesh Muluk play of Hindi are written in the Bidesiya style.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Narayan|first=Badri|title=Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration|pages=77}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Tradition of Kannada Theatre|publisher=IBH Prakashana|year=1986}}</ref>
* [[The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur]] is a music album composed of nine songs written by Bhikhari Thakur and sung by [[Kalpana Patowary]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tripathi|first=Shailaja|title=On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/on-the-shakespeare-of-bhojpuri/article3534122.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
*''[[Bhikharinama]]'' is a musical play written on the life of Bhikhari Thakur.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Play narrates life, struggles of folk artist Bhikhari Thakur|work=Outlook|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/amp/play-narrates-life-struggles-of-folk-artist-bhikhari-thakur/1735076}}</ref>
*''[[Bhikharinama]]'' is a musical play written on the life of Bhikhari Thakur.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Play narrates life, struggles of folk artist Bhikhari Thakur|work=Outlook|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/amp/play-narrates-life-struggles-of-folk-artist-bhikhari-thakur/1735076}}</ref>
* A 72 minutes long [[Documentary film]] on [[Launda Naach]] is named after him i.e. "Naach Bhikhari Naach".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chatarjer|first=Shoma A.|title=Naach Bhikari Naach: A Film on the Fading Folk Art of Naach|work=The Citizen|url=https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/16/19303/Naach-Bhikari-Naach-A-Film-on-the-Fading-Folk-Art-of-Naach|url-status=live}}</ref>
* A 72 minutes long [[Documentary film]] on [[Launda Naach]] is named after him i.e. "Naach Bhikhari Naach".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chatarjer|first=Shoma A.|title=Naach Bhikari Naach: A Film on the Fading Folk Art of Naach|work=The Citizen|url=https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/16/19303/Naach-Bhikari-Naach-A-Film-on-the-Fading-Folk-Art-of-Naach|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The Hindi novel ''Sutradhar'' (The Narrator), written by the author Sanjeev is based on Thakur's life.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2021-08-07|title=Remembering Bhikhari Thakur, the bard of Bihar|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/remembering-bhikhari-thakur-the-bard-of-bihar-101628335626595.html|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur]]
* [[The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur]]
* [[List of Indian writers]]
* [[List of Indian poets]]


== References ==
== References ==
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* {{Citation|last=Prasad |first=Maheshwar|publication-date=|year=1964|title= Jankavi Bhikhari Thakur|publisher= Bhojpuri Pariwar Patna|isbn=}}
* {{Citation|last=Prasad |first=Maheshwar|publication-date=|year=1964|title= Jankavi Bhikhari Thakur|publisher= Bhojpuri Pariwar Patna|isbn=}}
*  {{Citation|last=Maheshwaracharya |first=.|publication-date=|year=1978|title=Bhikhari: Bhojpuri ke Lok kalakar bhakt Bhikhari Thakur ki Samast rachnaon ka vishleshana [Bhikhari: A critical study of all writings of Bhojpuri Folk-Dramatist and Devotee Bhikhari]|publisher=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram|isbn=}}
*  {{Citation |author=Maheshwaracharya |publication-date=|year=1978|title=Bhikhari: Bhojpuri ke Lok kalakar bhakt Bhikhari Thakur ki Samast rachnaon ka vishleshana [Bhikhari: A critical study of all writings of Bhojpuri Folk-Dramatist and Devotee Bhikhari]|publisher=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram|isbn=}}
* {{Citation|last=Dwiwedi |first=B.P.|publication-date=|year=2000|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|isbn=}}
* {{Citation|last=Dwiwedi |first=B.P.|publication-date=|year=2000|title=Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu|publisher=Aashu Prakashan|isbn=}}
* {{Citation|last=Rai |first=D.N.|publication-date=|year=2004|title=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur-Iyadan ke khoh se (in Bhojpuri)|publisher=Shree Madhav Press,Chhapra|isbn=}}
* {{Citation|last=Rai |first=D.N.|publication-date=|year=2004|title=Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur-Iyadan ke khoh se (in Bhojpuri)|publisher=Shree Madhav Press,Chhapra|isbn=}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thakur, Bhikhari}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thakur, Bhikhari}}
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[[Category:People from Saran district]]
[[Category:People from Saran district]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Indian folk musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male singers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Bihar]]
[[Category:Musicians from Bihar]]
[[Category:Indian lyricists]]
[[Category:Indian lyricists]]
[[Category:Indian folk singers]]
[[Category:Indian folk singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century singers]]

Revision as of 19:01, 21 May 2022



Bhikhari Thakur
Bhikhari Thakur
Bhikhari Thakur
BornBhikhari Thakur
(1887-12-18)18 December 1887
Qutubpur, Shahabad, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Saran District, Bihar, India)
Died10 July 1971(1971-07-10) (aged 83)
Resting placeAshes scattered in the Ganges
Occupation
  • Poet
  • dramatist
  • composer
  • philosopher
  • social reformer
  • Singer
  • Dancer
  • Actor
Language
NationalityIndian
PeriodBritish Raj, Independent India
Literary movementFeminism
Notable works
SpouseMatuna
Children1, Shilanath Thakur
Locations of places associated with Bhikhari Thakur
Qutubpur
Qutubpur
Arrah
Arrah
Muzzafarpur
Muzzafarpur
Chhapra
Chhapra
Varansi
Varansi
 
class=notpageimage|
Locations of places associated with Bhikhari Thakur

Bhikari Thakur (18 December 1887 – 10 July 1971) was an Indian Bhojpuri language poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk singer and social activist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in Bhojpuri language and most popular folk writer of Purvanchal and Bihar.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] He is often called the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri" and "Rai Bahadur".[8] His works consist of more than a dozen plays, Monologues, Poems, Bhajans which appeared in print as nearly three dozen books. His noteworthy works are Bidesiya, Gabarghichor, Beti Bechwa and Bhai Birodh, Gabarghichor is often compared with Bertolt Brecht's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle.[9] He is also known as the father of the naach folk theatre tradition.[10] He is also credited as the first person to cast male actors in female roles.[11]

Thakur was born and raised in Kutubpur village of Saran, in his adolescence he married Matuna from whom he had only one son: Shilanath Thakur. In the early 1900s, he started his career as an actor, writer, singer and dancer. He remained active till his death in 1971. He published most of his works between 1938 and 1962. His early works were dialogues and musical plays, later he wrote some philosophical works, Bhajans, Harikirtans and other poems.

Life

Early life

Thakur was born in a barber family on 18 December 1887 in Kutubpur or Qutubpur[12] diyara village of Chhapra.[13][14][15] Initially his village was the part of Shahabad district (present Bhojpur) but later (in 1926) due to the change in the course of the Ganges got separated from Shahabad and became the part of Saran district, his maternal grandmother's house remained in Arrah.[16][17] He was the son of Dalsingar Thakur, who was a barber by profession. His mother's name was Sivkali Devi. Bhikhari Thakur was the elder of two sons, the younger one was Bahor Thakur. Due to family poverty, Thakur could not even complete his primary education. He had knowledge of only Kaithi alphabets and Ramcharitmanas.[18] In his adolescence, he married Matuna, who birth to a son, Shilanath Thakur in 1911.[19] In his childhood he used to graze cattle. When he grew up he had to adopt his family profession of a barber. However, he wanted to do something else, and so he shifted from his village to the neighboring Fatanpur village. In 1914, when Thakur was 27 years old, famine struck his village. After that he left his family in search of job, and went to Kharagpur, where his uncle had also migrated before.[20][12]

From Kharagpur, he went to Puri and then Calcutta, and followed his traditional occupation of cutting hair. This was the first time, He realised that the country in which he lives is Hindustan and is ruled by the Angrej. He used to watch the Ramlila, and from there he got the inspiration to write and act in plays. He also watched "Silema" (Cinema) for the first time and met Babulal, a person from Bihar who used to run a "naach hall".[12] He returned to his village formed a drama company and started performing Ramlila.[21]

Career

In early part of twentieth century, Bhikari Thakur returned to his village and started presenting Ramlila with a small troupe. But upper caste Hindus opposed performance of such important religious texts by lower caste people like Thakur.[22] Therefore, Thakur formed a theatrical company and started writing and directing plays by his own. Most of his plays used to revolve around the plight of women, village folks and confrontation between old values and modern values.[23][24] The first play written by Thakur was Biraha Bahar. He wrote his most famous play Bidesiya in 1917, when he was 30 years old. Between 1938 and 1962, more than three dozen books of Bhikhari Thakur were published. Most of the books were published by Dudhnath Press (Howrah) and Kachaudi Gali (Varanasi).[25]

He impressed people all over Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal by his performances.[14] He used to visit place to place with the artists of his theatre company to perform at marriages and other events and used to charge a lump sum.[26] He went to Arrah, Ballia, Muzaffarpur, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur, Jharia and as far as Dibrugarh in Assam to perform. However, despite of his popularity, he also faced disdain for his low caste and for performing Launda Naach by dressing himself in women clothes.[12] A humongous number of people would gather to watch his plays, especially for Bidesiya, whenever and wherever Bidesiya was staged and played, there used to be an uncontrollable crowd.[27] Thakur's plays were so impactful that, There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead of docilely marrying the old men their parents have taken money from.

Owing to his popularity, people started selling pirated copies of his books and even such books that were not written by him, for this he had to write "Bhikhari Pustika Suchi", which had the list and details of all of his published works. He also wrote "Bhikhari Shanka Shamadhan" to clear fake news that was spreading about him.[25]

Last years and death

In 1946, Cholera swept his village in which his wife died when he was touring for one his shows. His mother also died when he was touring.[12] In 1963, Bhojpuri movie Bidesiya released which was based on his play, in the movie Bhikhari Thakur made a special appearance, where he recited his own poem "Dagaria johat na". Thakur died on 10 July 1971.

Theatrical Company

In the early 20th century, Bhikhari formed his own theater company against his parents' will.[28] In early days, his company used to perform only Ramlila, but later it started staging plays written by himself. Most of his plays were performed under open sky on an elevated platform surrounded by audience. His company had skilled singers, dancers and actors. Some notable names are Ramchandra Manjhi (dancer), Mahendra (singer), Ram Lacchan and Juthan were comedians, musicians were Ghinawan (Dholak), Tafzul (Tal), Alijan (Sarangi) and Jagdeo (Harmonium).[29]

In those days, due to Parda system, it was very hard for women to perform in plays, Bhikhari Thakur included the Launda dancers to cast them as women in his plays. Later it became one of the greatest attractions of his plays. In January 2021 government of India felicitated Ramchandra Manjhi, a Launda dancer of his company with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of India.[30]

Works

See also: Bibliography of Bhikhari Thakur

Bhikhari Thakur's works were mostly based on the problems of society like plight of the migrants and women, poverty etc.[31] Thakur published almost 3 dozen books and booklets in his career. His published and unpublished works were compiled by Bhikhari Thakur Aashram and published in three parts as Bhikhari Thakur Granthavali. The first part was published in 1979 in which his five plays are compiled namely, Bidesiya, Bhai Birodh, Beti Bechwa, Kaljug Prem and Radheshyam Bahar. The second part was published in 1986 in which five more plays are there, namely Putra Badh, Gabarghichor, Nanad-Bhaujai, Ganga Asnan and Bidhwa Bilaap. The third and last part has his other plays, songs and monologues.[32]

Style and Contributions

Bhikhari Thakur's plays were different from typical modern plays of the 20th century, which used to have dialogues only. Thakur's plays were closer to the style used in classical Sanskrit theatre and Shakespeare's style, which contained both songs and dialogues.[33] Plays written by Thakur imbibed many principles from the Classical Indian Theatre. For example, his plays used to start with maṃgalācaran which is an essential part of Sanskrit plays in which prayers are dedicated to Ganapati and Saraswati, asking for the blessings. They also had Samājī which is equivalent to Shutradhāra of Sanskrit theatre and Chorus of Greek Theatre. The samaji used to explain about the play in the Prologue, its characters and used to draw example parallel to Hindu mythology.[34] Another important part of his plays were labār which are known as viduṣak in Indian classical theatre, who used to come in the middle of the play just to entertain the audience by doing some comedy.[11] The characters of the plays of Bhikhari Thakur are of types representing the general rather than the particular. For example, in the play Bidesiya, the character of Bidesi represents all the young men who used to go to Assam and Bengal for earning. Similarly Batohi means Traveller and represents a random person who is going to Kolkata.[34]

He incorporated everything that he found appropriate and exciting from other popular theatre in his plays. His Bidesiya is the blend of religious, secular, Tragedy, Comedy, traditional and modern theatre genre. He also included instruments like Tabla, Harmonium, Dholak, Sitar, Jhal, and Bansi. He also adopted all the popular Bhojpuri Folk songs genre in his plays like Biraha, Purbi, Kajari, Alha, Fagua, Chaita, Sorathi, Chaubola etc.[22] He also created a new form of Chhand which is called Bidesiya Chhand, unlike the chhands in vernaculars, which are Matrik, Bidesiya chhand is Varnik or syllabic like classical Sanskrit poetry, which have 32 syllables in each line like Ghankashari Chhanda of Sanskrit.[35] For example, in Bidesiya, Pyari is expounding her husband's appearance to Batohi:[36]

Kariyā nā gor bāte, lāmā nāhi hawan nāte (17),
Majilā jawān sām sundar batohiyā(15)...

— Bhikhari Thakur, Bidesiya, Scene IV

Messages and Impact

The plays and songs of Bhikhari Thakur depict the evils that were corroding the society.[37] Bidesiya depicts the pain of a woman whose husband leaves her and marries another woman, Beti Bechwa depicts the practice of unequal marriage, Bidhwa Bilaap depicts that a widow is treated and cheated by the society and her family. Besides social problems, Thakur has also talked about the separation of joint families in Bhai Birodh and Nanad-Bhaujai. In Kaljug Prem or Piyawa Nasaïl, he has shown the consequences of drinking and impact on the family. In Putrabadh, a Stepmother plans to kill her Stepson. Ganga Asnan exposes the frauds of the dhongi Brahmins.[38] His plays and songs did the biggest impact on the caste system.[39]

He started a social movement by his plays. There are stories of young girls leaving the mandap and running away instead of docilely marrying the old men their parents have taken money from. In Nautanwa village in Uttar Pradesh, after the play was staged there, the villagers sent back a Baraat of an old bridegroom. After a performance in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, some members of the audience marched to a nearby temple and took an oath that they would stop this practice.[12]

Filmography

Thakur made a special appearance in a song of Bhojpuri movie Bidesiya in 1963.[40] In the film, Thakur recites his own poetry.[41]

Critical Reputation

File:Statue of Bhikhari Thakur in Chhapra.jpg
Statue or Bhikhari Thakur in Chhapra

Bhikhari Thakur got immense appreciation for his play who used to reveal the reality of the society. People called him with the titles like Raibahadur and Shakespeare of Bhojpuri. Rahul Sankrityayan who gave him the title of Shakespeare has commented on him:[42]

𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂥𑂷𑂪𑂲 𑂧𑂵 𑂍𑂞𑂢𑂰 𑂔𑂷𑂩 𑂥𑂰, 𑂆 𑂮𑂦 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂍𑂵 𑂢𑂰𑂗𑂍 𑂧𑂵 𑂠𑂵𑂎𑂲𑂪𑂰𑃀 𑂦𑂱𑂎𑂰𑂩𑂲 𑂘𑂰𑂍𑂳𑂩 𑂯𑂧𑂢𑂱 𑂍𑂵 𑂃𑂢𑂏𑂜 𑂯𑂲𑂩𑂰 𑂯𑂫𑂵𑂁, 𑂯𑂳𑂢𑂍𑂰 𑂧𑂵𑂁 𑂍𑂳𑂪𑂱 𑂏𑂳𑂝 𑂥𑂰, 𑂎𑂰𑂪𑂲 𑂉𑂢𑂵 𑂋𑂢𑂵, 𑂞𑂢𑂲 𑂧𑂳𑂢𑂲 𑂓𑂰𑂁𑂗𑂵 𑂍𑂵 𑂍𑂰𑂧 𑂯𑂫𑂵
We can clearly see the power of our language in the plays of Bhikhari Thakur. Bhikhari Thakur is our uncut diamond, he has all the talents, however we need to arrange it properly.

In 1944, Bihar Government gave him the title of Rai Bahadur or Rai Sahab[43] and was felicitated with a Copper Shield.[44] Kalpana Patowary, the famous Bhojpuri folk singer from Assam, who has compiled Thakur's songs in the album named The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur, has commented on Thakur that:[45]

Thakur's songs and music bring closer to the heart the hardship of the individual in the search of work, home and family. That home and family is always Bhojpuri.

Adaptations of works

  • The Bhojpuri films Bidesiya (1963) and Bidesiya (2007) were based on his play.
  • The song Ae Sajni re written by Thakur was recreated in 2005 Bollywood film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and 2007 Bhojpuri film Bidediya.[46]
  • The song Kholu Kholu Dhaniya from his play Bidesiya was recreated in the 2007 Bhojpuri film Bidesiya.
  • The Bidesiya theatre genre also influenced theatres of other languages other than Bhojpuri, Rūpasēna of Kannada and Harikesh Muluk play of Hindi are written in the Bidesiya style.[47][48]
  • The Legacy of Bhikhari Thakur is a music album composed of nine songs written by Bhikhari Thakur and sung by Kalpana Patowary.[49]

Legacy

  • Bhikharinama is a musical play written on the life of Bhikhari Thakur.[50]
  • A 72 minutes long Documentary film on Launda Naach is named after him i.e. "Naach Bhikhari Naach".[51]
  • The Hindi novel Sutradhar (The Narrator), written by the author Sanjeev is based on Thakur's life.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Leiter, Samuel L. (2007). Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre: A-N. Greenwood Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780313335297.
  2. ↑ The Journal of the Bihar Purāvid Parishad, Vol. 19-20. Bihar Purāvid Parishad. 1995.
  3. ↑ Shalaja Tripathi (16 June 2012). "On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Agra University Journal of Research: Letters, Volumes 1-5. Agra University. 1952.
  5. ↑ Banham, Martin; Brandon, James R. (21 September 1995). The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-43437-9.
  6. ↑ Lal, Ananda; Lal, Reader in English Ananda (2004). The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-564446-3.
  7. ↑ Law, Jonathan (28 October 2013). The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-4591-3.
  8. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre, Vol. VI. Raj Publication. 2004. ISBN 9788186208359.
  9. ↑ Bajeli, Diwan Singh (27 February 2020). "Bhikhari Thakur: Voice of the marginalised". THE Hindu.
  10. ↑ Narayan, Badri (2016). Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration. p. 74. ISBN 978-1315448039.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Narayan, Badri. Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration. p. 76.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 "Remembering Bhikhari Thakur, the bard of Bihar". Hindustan Times. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "जयंती विशेष: भोजपुरी के 'शेक्सपियर' भिखारी ठाकुर की 10 बड़ी बातें". Aaj Tak.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Indian Literature, vol. 44. Sahitya Akademi. 2000.
  15. ↑ Sangeet Natak, Volume 37. Sangeet Natak Akademi. 2002. p. 49.
  16. ↑ Singh, Durgashankar Prasad. Bhojpuri ke Kavi aur Kavya. Patna: Kalika press.
  17. ↑ Dwiwedi, Bhagwati Prasad (2000). Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. p. 25. ISBN 81-85377-41-3.
  18. ↑ "एक आम आदमी, जो बना भोजपुरी का शेक्सपियर!". Amar Ujala.
  19. ↑ Dwiwedi, Bhagwati Prasad. Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. p. 28.
  20. ↑ Sulabh, Hrishikesh (January 2009). Rangmanch Ka Jantantra. Rajkamal Prakashan. p. 99. ISBN 9788126717842.
  21. ↑ Choubey, Devendra. Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra. Kitabghar Publication. p. 342. ISBN 9788189859114.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Prakash, Brahma (2016). "Performing "Bidesiyā" in Bihar: Strategy for Survival, Strategies for Performance". Asian Theatre Journal. 33 (1): 57–81. doi:10.1353/atj.2016.0023. JSTOR 24737156. S2CID 163187967.
  23. ↑ Choubey, Devendra. Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra. ISBN 9788189859114.
  24. ↑ Sinha, Biswajit (2000). Encyclopaedia of Indian Theatre: pt.1-2. Rabindranath Tagore. Raj Publication. p. 89. ISBN 9788186208359.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Dwiwedi, Bhagwati Prasad. Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. p. 29.
  26. ↑ Garagi, Balawanta (1962). Theatre in India. Theatre Arts Books. p. 147.
  27. ↑ Misra, Ram Baksh (2003). Sociology of Bhojpuri Language. Swasti Publications.
  28. ↑ Banham, Martin; Brandon, James R. (1995). The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge university press. p. 105. ISBN 9780521434379.
  29. ↑ Dwiwedi, Bhagwati Prasad (2000). Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Aashu Prakashan. p. 70.
  30. ↑ "Padma Shri Ramchandra Manjhi and Dulari Devi: Tale of two artists, and of art, caste and grit in Bihar". The Indian Express.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ↑ Golmej. Vani Prakashan. p. 97.
  32. ↑ Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. 2005. p. 38.
  33. ↑ Gomez. Vani Prakashan. p. 97.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Chaturvedi, Namrata. ""BIDESIA" – THE FOLK THEATRE OF EASTERN INDIA". The Theatre Times.
  35. ↑ Shandilya, Rajeshwari (2001). Bhojpuri Lokgeetan me geeti tatva. Patna: Bhojpuri Sansthan. p. 189.
  36. ↑ Bhikhari Thakur Rachnawali: Part 1. Qutubpur (Saran): Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram. 1979. p. 33.
  37. ↑ Bihar District Gazetteers: Saran. Bihar: Superintendent, Secretariat Press. 1960. p. 116.
  38. ↑ Dwiwedi, Mahesvari Prasad. Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. pp. 50–54.
  39. ↑ Waiting in the Wild. Educreation Publishing. 20 January 2019.
  40. ↑ Patel, Raviraj. Bhojpuri Filmon Ka Safanama.
  41. ↑ Cinema Bhojpuri by Abhijit Das
  42. ↑ Thakur, Harinarayan (2009). Bhārata meṃ pichaṛā varga āndolana aura parivartana kā nayā samājaśāstra. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 9788178357416.
  43. ↑ There is a debate of the exact name of the title, whether it was "Rai Bahaur" or "Rai Sahab". Some scholars also believe that the award was only announced but he never received it.
  44. ↑ Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu. Allahabad: Aashu Prakashan. 2005. p. 23.
  45. ↑ Giri, Ananta Kumar (23 January 2021). Cross-Fertilizing Roots and Routes: Identities, Social Creativity, Cultural Regeneration and Planetary Realizations. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-15-7118-3.
  46. ↑ Rai, Sandeep (2021). Aesthetics and Politics: Two Leading Bhojpuri Artists. Becomeshakespeare.com. ISBN 9789390543519.
  47. ↑ Narayan, Badri. Culture and Emotional Economy of Migration. p. 77.
  48. ↑ The Tradition of Kannada Theatre. IBH Prakashana. 1986.
  49. ↑ Tripathi, Shailaja. "On the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri". The Hindu.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  50. ↑ "Play narrates life, struggles of folk artist Bhikhari Thakur". Outlook.
  51. ↑ Chatarjer, Shoma A. "Naach Bhikari Naach: A Film on the Fading Folk Art of Naach". The Citizen.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Bibliography

  • Prasad, Maheshwar (1964), Jankavi Bhikhari Thakur, Bhojpuri Pariwar Patna
  • Maheshwaracharya (1978), Bhikhari: Bhojpuri ke Lok kalakar bhakt Bhikhari Thakur ki Samast rachnaon ka vishleshana [Bhikhari: A critical study of all writings of Bhojpuri Folk-Dramatist and Devotee Bhikhari], Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur Aashram
  • Dwiwedi, B.P. (2000), Bhikhari Thakur: Bhojpuri ke Bharatendu, Aashu Prakashan
  • Rai, D.N. (2004), Lok Kalakar Bhikhari Thakur-Iyadan ke khoh se (in Bhojpuri), Shree Madhav Press,Chhapra
  • Singh, Dhananjay (2008), Bhojpuri Pravasi Shramikon ki Sanskriti aur Bhikhari Thakur ka Sahitya (in Hindi), NLI Research studies series
  • Prasad, Vijay Shankar (2019), Shakespeare of Bhojpuri in English: Transliteration and Translation of Bhikhari Thakur's Bidesiya, ISBN 9781797717531

External links

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