#dafli

[dafliwali]

you and i are not the same. you hate gandhiji because he was a secular man, against the partition and wanted peace among hindus and muslims. i hate him because he was not a feminist, and didn't care in the least about women's rights.

[kalyan-gullapalli]

Post # 120

Powade - Ballads of the Marathas...

In 1891, an Englishman named Harry Arbuthnot Ackworth and an Indian named Shankar Tukaram Shaligram co-authored a book in Marathi - Itihaas Prasiddha Purushanchi Va Streeyanche Powada, meaning The Powade of historically prominent men and women. In 1894, Ackworth published a translation of that book in English and called it - Ballads of the Marathas. In these books, the two authors presented 60 of the 1000 odd available Powade to their readers. But, what exactly are Powade? Therein lies a tale.

Powada is a Marathi folk form, which combines prose & poetry, and is performed by a group of artists who recite the prose, sing the poetry, and dance to the tunes of accompanying instruments, all in an intense, high energy performance that lasts for hours, often throughout the night. It grew into prominence in 17th century Chatrapati Shivaji era and continues till date.

Actually, Powada means to praise, or to sing in glory. Though Powade (plural of Powada) were earlier used as a form of devotion, they became popular in Marathi consciousness as 'poetry of valour.' They were a kind of ballads, written in an exciting style, narrating historical events in an inspiring manner. It is said that one Powada carries the energy of ten inspirational speeches.

The earliest recorded Powada is Afzal Khan cha wadh (Afzal Khan's assasination), which Rani Jijabai, that visionary mother of Shivaji, commissioned Agnidas to write, in praise of Shivaji's victory over Afzal Khan, Adil Khan's commander. The Powada was sung and performed in every nook and corner of the Maratha land, to inform people of this great victory and to keep their morale high.

Only about 5-6 Powade from that period have been recovered. One of them is by Tulsidas (not to be confused with Goswami Tulsidas of Awadh) on Tanaji Malusare. The story of Tanaji Malusare is so awe-inspiring as it is. Just imagine how it will sound when performed as a Powada!

Later on, Powade were written and composed on social issues, like the caste system, education, women empowerment, removal of untouchability, and that mother of all causes - to unite the nation and gather momentum for the fight for independence. Some 300 odd Powade have been recovered from that time.

Post independence, Powade were performed to highlight current affairs, and to expose the flaws of the government. They put forth the demands of the people and gave voice to the poor. About 700 odd Powade are estimated to have been composed in this period.

It is important to note that though each Powade has a message, it is a medium of entertainment. Actually, it was an effective mass-media mode in those days when there was no TV or Radio, but important news had to be relayed in an effective way.

No discussion on Powade is complete without understanding Shahirs - the lyricists-cum-composers-cum-performers of Powade. Let's get back to that story of Rani Jijabai commissioning the Powada on Shivaji's victory over Afzal Khan. When Agnidas rendered his composition in front of Jijabai, she was so happy that she gifted him her gold bracelet and called him a Shahir. Shahir is a combination of two word - Shah (meaning King) and Hir (meaning voice). So a Shahir was one who relayed the King's message to the masses. He did this through a Powada performance.

Shahirs have a troupe - of 5 or more people. The main performer is called the Nayak. There are accompanying artists with musical instruments. In earlier days, the Dholak, Dafli and the Tuntuna were standard instruments. These days the harmonium, table and violin also join the show.

What's interesting is that through this primarily oral folk art form, the Shahirs were widely responsible for documenting a large part of the Maratha history. Isn't that awesome? That's why it is all the more wonderful that a Britisher took the trouble, with an Indian, to compile 60 of these into a book and publish it in both Marathi and English.

[dafliwali]

it's biblically inaccurate to listen to KK's songs if you are not seated in a taxi on the roads of mumbai while it is raining outside.

also it's mandatory that you cannot voluntarily play it for yourself, it must be playing from the driver's playlist on shuffle.

[dafliwali]

look i'm not a hater, but it troubles me when we call it 'emraan hashmi songs'? he wasn't the one who sung them.

maybe give singers, composers and lyricists credits where its due.

[dafliwali]

Just watched "Bareilly Ki Barfi"

10/10 - I'm easily impressed, I know. Maybe any movie that can make me cry is a ten for me, because, I like feeling emotions outside the monotony of my life.

The watching experience was a bit imperfect because I completed the movie over a span of a week, on the TV, with low volume, with mummy while having food and the english subtitles were on the whole itme. But it's alright, I guess, maybe I'm just channeling my inner Bitti, how she watches English films without the full or 'perfect' experience.

They can never make me hate Rajkumar Rao or convince me that he is an actor who only does one type of role. He was so good as Vidrohi, he made me feel bad for a man. And Ayushman Khurrana can really express love with his eyes, man. I am not saying I wish for a lover but god would I be satiated with life if someone looks at me with those eyes.

I was annoyed that I guessed the ending, but I also gaslit myself into not believing my guess and enjoying the movie as it goes. Kriti Sanon is truly a beautiful woman and a great actress. The date where the two leads interacted while having an ice cream without using words... crazy how I'm romanticising social abilities.

For a minute, I could settle with accepting that I'd never find a lover like Chirag, but man it hurts to know I'll also never have a father like Bitti's. The father, played by Pankaj Tripathi, was so calm at every point no matter what, listened to his daughter speak, actually expressed his love for her. Plus I was constantly annoyed with Chirag and his best friend, this is why men need female friends to knock some sense into them and advise them right.

In the end, a girl can always dream to be someone's, "Tumse pyaar karna bohot ae mushkil hai, Par tumse pyaar na karna, usse bhi zyada mushkil."

[dafliwali]

Just read 'पछतावा' by Munshiji.

I learned a new phrase "अति सर्वत्र वर्जयेत," it means that excess of anything should be avoided everytime. In the context of the story, it means excess of being truthful or just. Which I feel is fair, but I also know that the protagonist Pandit Durganath was not fair to a fault. He always analysed his steps well and wasn't too idealistic with trying to override the system.

The small scene in the court was interesting to me, how Kunwar Sahab's lawyer tried to improvise Pandit's testimony:

वकील : जान पड़ता है, किसानों का दूध, घी, भेंट आदि ने यह कायापलट कर दी है। दुर्गानाथ : आपको इन वस्तुओं का अधिक तजुर्बा होगा। मुझे तो अपनी रूखी रोटियाँ ही अधिक प्यारी हैं।

I am conflicted in the slightest about whether if I was also a villager in Chaandpur, I would not have gone back to bow and praise Kunwar Sahab when I finally had chances for an autonomy. Though I'd have definitely given under peer pressure and joined the herd behind Malooka.

What I'm not conflicted about is that I'm glad Kunwar Sahab did not get closure in his last moments and had no sign or implication of Pandit Durganath ever returning. He deserved that. He saw how Pandit's rule made his relations with Chaandpur so peaceful and still decided to continue his old ways with the other villages. His old ways including brutality, humiliation and burning down houses (ज़मींदार का श्रृंगार was the term used for his brutality in his pov). Glad he remorsed, even if a tad bit too late for my liking.

~ dafli

[watchthisentertainment]

Sunil Pal Criticizes Sunil Grover's Cross-Dressing Act as Dafli

Comedian Sunil Pal has expressed strong disapproval of Sunil Grover’s portrayal of the cross-dressing character Dafli in the Netflix show The Great Indian Kapil Show. In a recent interview with Telly Talk, Pal labeled Grover’s act as “cheap” and “vulgar.” Pal takes issue with Grover dressing up in a saree and engaging in comedic antics as the female character Dafli. He finds Grover’s…

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[greenjaydeep]

#dafli and girls .. (at Kolkata) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPEOGYgNLR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yln49xg3vxni