Teejan Bai | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1956-08-08)8 August 1956 (age 68) Ganiyari village,Durg,Chhattisgarh |
| Occupation | Pandavani Folk Singer |
| Spouse | Tukka Ram |
| Awards | Padma Vibhushan 2019 Padma Bhushan 2003 Padma Shri 1988 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1995 Fukuoka Prize 2018 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship[1][2] |
Teejan Bai (born 8 August 1956) is an exponent ofPandavani, a traditional performing art form, fromChhattisgarh, in which she enacts tales from theMahabharata, with musical accompaniments.
She has been awarded thePadma Shri in 1987,[3][4]Padma Bhushan in 2003, andPadma Vibhushan in 2019 by Government of India, besides 1995Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, given bySangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
Teejan Bai was born in Ganiyari village, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) north ofBhilai, to Chunuk Lal Pardhi and his wife Sukhwati.[5] She belongs to thePardhiScheduled Tribe ofChhattisgarh state.
The eldest among her five siblings, she heard her maternal grandfather, Brijlal Pardhi, recite the Mahabharata written by Chhattisgarhi writer, Sabal Singh Chauhan inChhattisgarhi Hindi and instantly took a liking to it. She soon memorised much of it, and later trained informally under Umed Singh Deshmukh.
At age 13, she gave her first public performance in a neighbouring village, Chandrakhuri (Durg) for Rs 10., singing in theVEDMATI SHAILI (style) of 'Pandavani', a first time for a woman, as traditionally women used to sing in theVedamati, the sitting style. Contrary to the tradition, Teejan Bai performed standing singing out loud in her typical guttural voice and unmistakable verve, entering what was till then, a male bastion.[6]
Within a short time, she became known in neighbouring villages and invitations poured to perform at special occasions and festivals.
Her big-break came, whenHabib Tanvir, a theatre personality from Madhya Pradesh, noticed her talent, and she was called to perform for then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. In time she received national and international recognition, aPadma Shri in 1988,[7]Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, andPadma Bhushan in 2003.
Beginning in the 1980s, she travelled all over the world as a cultural ambassador, to countries as far as England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Mauritius.[8] She performed sequences from the Mahabharata inShyam Benegal's acclaimed Doordarshan TV seriesBharat Ek Khoj based onJawaharlal Nehru's book.[9]
Today she continues to enthrall audiences, the world over with her unique folk singing and her powerful voice; and pass on her singing to the younger generation.She has recently received highest honour of Padma Vibhushan in 2019.
Though she was married at 12, she was expelled by the community, the 'Pardhi' tribe, for singing Pandavani, being a woman. She built herself a small hut and started living on her own, borrowing utensils and food from neighbours, yet never left her singing, which eventually paid off for her.[10] She never went to her first husband's home and later split (divorce). In the following years, she was married twice and later became a grandmother.
Pandavani, literally means stories ofPandavas, the legendary brothers inMahabharat, and involves enacting and singing with instrumental accompaniment an ektara or atambura in one hand and sometimes akartal in another. As the performance progresses, thetambura becomes her only prop, sometimes to personify agada, mace ofBhima, orArjuna's bow or chariot, while at other times it becomes the hair of queen Draupadi, allowing her to play various character with effective ease and candour.[11] Her acclaimed performances are of, Draupadi cheerharan, Dushasana Vadh and Mahabharat Yudh, between Bhishma and Arjun.
