Bhatiyali Music

Songs of Bengal’s rivers and boatmen

Description

Bhatiyali music is inspired by the boatman’s life on the river. The word bhati means low land, and bhata means low tide. It is a tradition of the Sundarbans region of India and Bangladesh. The district of North 24 Parganas is the main hub of Bhatiyali music and is home to about 180 Bhatiyali singers. Traditionally, the boatmen sang Bhatiyali songs while sailing. The songs usually express love, compassion, admiration, and anguish of boatmen through simple lyrics and lingering tunes. These songs also express the lived realities of the boatmen and celebrate spirituality. The lyrics reflect the challenges and hardships the boatmen face in their everyday lives.
Legendary singer Abbas Uddin Ahmed made the genre popular among the masses. Bhatiyali is also integral to the local folk dramas Banbibir Pala and Gazir Gaan. This genre of music is accompanied by traditional musical instruments such as dotara, ektara, tabla, dhol, flute, etc.

Process

Process

  • Themes:Bhatiyali, sung by boatmen while rowing downstream, encapsulates emotions ranging from joy to the pain of separation. It mirrors the boatmen's lifestyle, their challenges, and the rhythms of their daily existence through heartfelt lyrics sung in their characteristic husky tone.
  • Instruments:Traditionally accompanied by harmonium, tabla, flute, dotara, and dhol, these instruments have been integral in weaving the rich tapestry of Bhatiyali's melodic storytelling.
  • Types: Originally featuring five variations in Bangladesh, Bhatiyali has evolved, with forms like Murshidi, Bichchhedi, Jari, Shari, Ghatu, and Baromashi enduring. Its essence echoes in Bengali folk dramas like Gazir Gaan, showcasing the continuity of its strains.

Product

Traditional Description:

Traditional
Themes — The song is sung by the boatmen while rowing down the river. The song expresses joy, pain of separation, harvest and the lifestyle of the boatmen in their own language. The lyrics reflect the daily challenges and hardship the boatmen face.  They sing Bhatiyali in their typical husky tone while rowing.

Types — At one time, there were five types of Bhatiyali in Bangladesh. But some of these forms are more or less extinct now. However a few like Murshidi, Bichchhedi, Jari, Shari, Ghatu and Baromashi still exist. Strains of Bhatiyali can be found in Bengali folk drama form Gazir Gaan.

Instruments — Traditionally the song was sung with traditional instruments such as Harmonium, Tabla, Flute, Dotara, Dhol.
 

Contemporary Description:

No such notable changes occured in the Bhatiyali songs.

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North 24 Parganas

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Dotara

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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NA

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Gostagopal Das

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Hema Gauri Goyal

NA

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Jayanta Mandal

Bhatiyali

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Joydeb Raptan

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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NA

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali

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Manisha Das

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali/Kirttan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali

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NA

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Dhol

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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NA

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Bhatiyali

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali/Lokogaan

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Flute

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Padmarani Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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NA

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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North 24 Parganas

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Bhatiyali/Rabindra Sangeet

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Rjeshwari Singh

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Rabindranath Bauliya

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Rabindranath Mridha

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Rachana Das

NA

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Ranju Das

Flute and Dhol

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Rafikul Islam Gazi

Vocal ( Bhatiyali )

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Rahima Bibi

Vocal ( Bhatiyali )

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North 24 Parganas

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Shubhendu Baidya

Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Sulata Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Srikanta Sarkar

Bombay Dhol

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Sourabh Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Shyamaprasad Sarkar

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Santosh Joaddar

NA

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Shibani Biswas

Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Sabitarani Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Shib Nath Mandal

NA

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Sephali Mondal

NA

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Shrikrishna Roy

Bhatiyali/Lokogaan/Kortalbadak

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Sunil Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Susmita Das

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Subrata Mondal

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Suvendu Mandal

Bhatiyali

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Sarjit Mandal

Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Sudhir Mondal

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Sujata Das

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Sita Biswas

Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Bhatiyali

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Sukumar Sarkar

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Tanushree Modnal

Bhatiyali/Lokogaan

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali/Palagaan

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Bhatiyali Folk Song

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Village Festival

Sundarban Mela was held at Pakhiralay, Gosaba on Apr 15th and 16th from 5 pm to 8 pm to celebrate the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Sundarbans. The festival was part of the collaborative initiative, Rural Craft and Cultural Hub (RCCH), undertaken by the Department of MSME&T, Govt. of West Bengal in association with UNESCO to strengthen ICH-based practices of the state and promote the grass-root creative entrepreneurs. On 15th April, Sundarban Mela started with a Baul music performance by Rahul Sardar and team from Nadia. The festival was inaugurated by Jhumur, Baul and Banabibi Pala artists from Sundarbans by watering a plant. Then the evening cultural program started with a Jhumur dance and music performance by Adibasi Banophul Sampraday (Led by Bablu Sardar), Shiv Durga Jhumur Sampraday (Shila Sardar) showcased their local culture and tradition through jhumur dance to the audience. Later, Adivasi Lokosanskriti (Bandana Sardar and team) group performed Jhumur dance accompanied with adivasi song. The last performance of the day was Banabibir Pala, the traditional folk theatre acted to please goddess Banabibi to protect the honey collectors from man eating tigers and keep their family and loved ones safe. The performance was enacted by Ma Suhashini Natya group from Sundarban led by Anuja Adhikari and her team. Sundarban being a tourist location and during the festival there were many outsiders to whom the performance was very touchy and they felt very happy to witness such a theatrical performance imbibed with the lifestyle of the people of Sundarbans. On 16th April, the festival started with Jhumur song and dance performance by Tusu Mata group and Pakhi Jhumur Sampraday (led by Putul Mandal) which was highly appreciated by the audience. As the tunes of Dotara started, the audience came live with and responded heartily to Bhatiyali music performance by Nabaneeta Mandal and team. Due to audience request the performance lasted an hour creating a different aura of music around the area. The last performance of Sundarban Mela was Chau dance from Purulia. It is a folk artform with elements of martial arts. Chau dance is performed with Chau masks and the dancers are highly skilled to perform vaults and jumps according to the beats of Dhamsa. The performance was led by Jagannath Choudhury and team Mitali Chau Maldi. They performed ‘Raaktasur Badh’ a performed of one hour which hold the audience to their chair. The performance was highly appreciated by the audiences and they proposed to have the team during others festivals in the area. Other than the main stage performance there were craft stall on the mela ground covering Shola, Stone jewellery, Incense, wood craft and hay craft.

International Visit

Saurav Moni participated at Kalipuja held at Slough, UK from Oct 21-26, 2022.

Activity

Basic Workshop Three workshops were conducted from May 8 to May 19, 2022 with 185 Bhatiyali artists in 3 places namely Kalitala, Jogeshganj and Samshernagar. All the participants have been guided by eminent Bhatiyali gurus such as Saurav Moni and Bishnupada Sarkar.