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This song-and-dance extravaganza originated at temples in Maharashtra. It was also used as a form of entertainment and morale booster to the tired soldiers during the 18th and 19th century Maratha battles, writes
Dhanvanti Keshavrao
The foot-tapping beat of the dholki reverberates around the hall. As the nau-vari (nine-yard saree)-clad lavaani dancer tosses her head sideways and gives a naughty wink, whistles and catcalls from the male audience increase. Each state of India has its own repertoire of folk dances. In Punjab it is the bhangra, inTamil Nadu it is karagam, in Bengal it is the gambhira and in Orissa the chau. In Maharashtra it is the lavaani. Lavaani is a part of lokanatya or tamasha which is basically a dance-drama featuring many characters like the main heroine(s), sutradhar (the narrator of the story), songadya (the joker or mimicry artist), supporting dancers, naachya or maavshi (the effeminate gay character who is dressed like a man but acts like a woman). The word lavaani is derived from laavanya, which in Sanskrit means beauty. But this song-and-danceextravaganzaoriginatedat temples. Gods, more than men, needed to be pleased with music, dance and other arts. Lavaani was used as a form of entertainment and morale booster to the tired soldiers during the 18th and 19th century Maratha battles. Many famous Marathi poets like Honaji Bala, Ramjoshi, Prabhakar, etc. contributed to the popularity of lavaani. There are many types of lavaani like: Baithakichee lavaani—Lavaani sung and performed in private soirees or mehfils for a closed audience—the singer sings and makes adas sitting and occasionally getting up and dancing, putting more emphasis on expressions—bhaav. Khadi Lavaani is performed on stage and it involves a lot of footwork with dance or nritya playing an important role. Sawal-Jawab lavaani is a form where two groups perform on the same stage—one asking questions or riddles and the other one answering—and it continues till someone loses. Then again the Vag lavaani tells a tale. The Chhakkad lavani is amorous and colourful, the Junnar describes the adventures of a country maiden and the Bale Ghati is a sad song of separation. `A0Opening with Ganesh vandana and ending with manasa mujra, the lavaani`A0has philosophical and humorous interludes too. Otherwise mostly the songs are sensuous in nature with symbolic descriptions of female body and the man-woman relationship. Nothing is explicitly mentioned. But some beautiful lavaanis on other topics like asexual love and spirituality are equally popular. Its audience includes mainly young and old men although women also started going to see the shows a few years back. In rural areas now the ratio of male-female audience is 70-30 whereas in cities it’s almost 50-50. Lavaani regained its popularity in urban areas around 10 years back, mainly due to Lavaani Mahotsav organised by the Maharashtra Government and exclusive lavaani shows by great artistes like Surekha Punekar, Chhaya Maaya Khutegaonkar, Maya Jadhav etc. Now in urban Maharashtra they have become family entertainment. Managers of city theatres, where lavaani troupes are currently performing, say audiences are thronging the shows with the number of performances reaching a peak in the festival season. Many lavaani troupes have reinvented their shows to cater to the times. Drums, the guitar and the organ have been added to traditional instruments like the dholki and harmonium. There is also a dance in the rain with hidden showers and disco numbers. The largest of the lavaani artiste groups is that of Mangala—a 150-member troupe with 70 artistes. Lavaani artistes, however, are also a vanishing breed. There are only 50-odd lavaani groups in the whole of Maharashtra and 20 of them in Mumbai. They get Rs 200 to Rs 500 per show provided the booking is more than 50 per cent. They have to take full responsibility for their sarees, jewellery and make-up. In recent times lavaani gained acceptance, only when Sundara Man Madhe Bharali, a lavaani from the USA performed at Bombay theatres seven years ago. Directed by Dr Mina Nerurkar and a group of Maharashtrian NRIs, the show brought in a demand for this folk art among Marathi audiences and thanks to the rekindled interest, today lavaani is one of the folk dances taught in the the Lokakala Academy in Bombay University. — MF
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