62 year old folk musician, Mahindra Barman of Mathabhanga, Cooch Behar, better known as Mahim Geedal, has been performing for the last 40 years. Encouraged by his father, Kalia Barman, a musician and harmonium player in a local jatra group, a young Mahindra began to learn Kushan songs, determined that it would bring him fame one day.
His guru was the famous Jhampura Kushani of Gosanimari and was the old master’s last student. Mahim would accompany his master to performances and would often stand in for him, often to the disappointment of the audience, all of whom had come to hear the great Jhampura and not some unknown young lad. It broke the young trainee’s heart to hear the boos and catcalls, but he stayed focused and his powerful, melodious voice soon won the audience over.
In a few years, Mahim did become a Geedal (lead Kushan performer) of repute, with his guru formally handing over his Bena to him. He remained with his guru for six more years until the latter’s demise. During those days, in the eighties, he would earn Rs 15 per show. Over the next six years, it increased to Rs 50 per show. Later it became as much as Rs 1000 per show. By this time he had formed his own group with 25 to 26 members. He also taught several students, including Kushani, Dhaneshwar Barman.
Mahim’s career began at a time when the jatra had begun to impact rural folk theatre. According to him, the downslide of Kushan pala started when jatra groups from Kolkata began visiting North Bengal. When local audiences began to get a taste of this exciting form of entertainment, they began to clamour for more. The simple,local folk dramas, could not possibly hope to compete against the costumes, lighting and glamour of the Kolkata jatra. In an attempt to cope, the length of the traditional performance was shortened to include a jatra add-on, to attract audiences. However, Mahim opines that even though the folk pala was shortened, attempts were made to retain its traditional character. But the main difference was that while in the old days, just two performers, the Kushani and the Doari between themselves carried the show, along with a few cross dressed dancers (chhokra), in its Kushan jatra form, actors in costume were introduced to play the parts of various characters.
Yet, the Kushan jatra element, in Mahim`s opinion, still did not draw enough crowds as it was a poor cousin to the glamour, spectacle and budgets of the Kolkata jatra. Therefore, in his experience, people stayed to watch the Kushan pala portion of sixty or ninety-minute duration (as against durations stretching over days in the past), but often dispersed after the jatra begins, which carries on through the night.
But the death knell on Kushan pala had been rung. Today, the performers, supposedly Kushanis or Geedals, do not even know how to play the Bena nor sing the traditional songs. They pay lip service to some excerpt from Ramayana and then very quickly launch into the evening’s jatra “Shaamir cheeta jolchhey”, or a similar script bought from Kolkata. Performances are sometimes financed by local gamblers (if the local committee allows) !
It is for this reason that the talented Mahim Geedal gradually began to switch to Bhawaiya and Kobial performances. He also plays a variety of musical instruments, in addition to the Bena. Today, his main focus is Kobial songs.
During the lockdown since last March, Mahim has been trying hard to stay focused on his art. He laments that he has not received a single programme in the last 18 months and is thankful for the small plot of land that he cultivates, which assures him and his family of their food at least.