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Firkal is an unusual name for a dance form. Most scholars of Indian dances and social anthropologists have not heard of it, far less seen it being performed. No mention has ever been made of the dance in ancient treatises, history books, travellers’ tales or accounts of archaeological finds.
Yet firkal is very much a living art form. It is a martial dance performed by the Bhumij tribes of the Chhota Nagpur area in Jharkhand and is much older than kalaripayattu and other martial art forms like that of Manipur, and even those whose origins can be traced to China and Japan. The only distressing part is that firkal survives in just one obscure village, Janumdih, of Potka block in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. No more than 25 Bhumij families are holding on to it, little knowing that after them, there will be nobody to take the tradition forward. "This is literally the last frontier of firkal," says Amitabh Ghosh of The Celluloid Chapter Art Foundation (TCCAF), a social service organisation in Jamshedpur engaged in the revival and promotion of the dance. "Even the tribals do not feel the need to perform any more." Adds Raghunath Sardar of Veer Adim Kherwar Samiti (VAKS), a group which works with the tribals in Janumdih: "Till 16 years back, firkal used to be performed almost everyday. But now, even in the only village it survives, we are able to hold performances only five to six times a year." The reasons are obvious. Economic deprivation, degradation of land and the temptations of urban culture have led to a large-scale migration of tribals to greener pastures. The ones who are left behind have far more pressing problems for survival than perform a dance that no one sees, understands or appreciates. Once in a while, the state government holds Adivasi Utsavs in Jamshedpur, where representatives of the Bhumij families are made to perform with other tribal dancers in the region, mainly as tourism attractions. It is half-hearted, lackadaisical exercise that offers no incentive or dignity to these dancers. "As we all know, patronage is the oxygen for any art form to survive," Ghosh points out. "But firkal, unlike other traditional martial art forms in the country, does not receive any help or support from any quarter. It has virtually been pushed to the brink of extinction due to lack of resources." At first sight firkal would appear to be like any warrior dance performed by African tribes, although no direct relationship has yet been established between the two ethnology streams. A closer link could be the kirpan susun or sword dance practiced by aboriginal settlers in central India. According to Sardar, the dance recitals were originally enactments of hunting scenes and self-defence, the focus being mainly of raw macho courage. But over time, there have been changes in the movements in keeping with the evolving lifestyle of the Bhumjis. "They haven’t given up hunting, but other forms of food gathering, including vegetable farming, has become part of their day-to-day living," says Sardar. "Consequently, the dance movements have changed into a rather leisurely, recreational exercise rather than a ritualistic demonstration of courage." "There are still some old timers who are proficient in the dance steps of their forefathers," informs Ghosh. "These dance steps are variously known as bagh taal (imitating the movements of a tiger), birsa munda taal (demonstrative of the courage of a folk hero who rose against the British) and pahalbani taal (indicative of a wrestling match). The younger generation is not very familiar with these dances." Ghosh was first exposed to firkal in a state-sponsored tribal fair at Jamshedpur in 1989. So enchanted was he by the natural vigour and sense of rhythm of the Bhumjis that he promptly got together a few friends to work with VAKS for the revival of this ancient art form. "TCCAF is the result of that initiative," he explains. "We figured out that precious little has been done by the government in promoting or preserving this tribal art. So we are going about creating a data base of all that can becollected on firkal." Already, these volunteers have created an impressive library of old firkal song recordings, video tapes analysing basic body movements, interviews with artistes and detailed studies on various rhythms and beats. The Association for Indian Development (AID) in Minnesota, USA, recently extended a handsome grant towards this project. — MF
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