Ankiya Naata of Srimanta Sankardeva

Srimanta Sankardeva Tithi Today

Pranjal Dutta

(The writer is Assistant Professor and Head, Department of English, Sarupathar College. He can be reached at pranjalduttaspr@gmail.com)

The Neo-Vaishnavite movement initiated by Vaishnavaite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva commenced in Assam in the first decade of the 16th century and reached its climax towards the middle of the 17th century. Srimanta Sankardeva undertook the difficult and arduous task of a reformer at a juncture of acute crisis in Assamese society and polity – at a time when the ancient kingdom of Kamrupa was slowly undergoing a process of disintegration. The society of that time was led by the violent administrators; the people were exploited in the name of religion. Constant friction and conflict for supremacy of power was the order of the day, which severely affected the political condition of the region. The political instability brought about a chaotic condition in the religious sphere also. Saktism bordering on extreme Taantricism was also widely prevalent. The followers of these cults were all found indulging in evil practices like an animal and sometimes even human sacrifices, magical rites, spells and the like. It was based on the philosophy of palate and sensual pleasures. The economically backward classes and socially downtrodden became the victims of such ghastly practices.

Sankardeva brought in the Bhakti movement prevailing in south India to the valley of Brahmaputra and started a new religious belief with a new name called ‘Neo-Vaishnavism’. His objective was to propagate Vaisnavism and humanism following democratic philosophy. He emphasized ethnic integration, societal reforms and spiritual uplift through an innovative mode of religious conduct based on indigenous elements of the region, at a time when the society in Assam was in turmoil. He wanted to dispel violence, oppression, exploitation and ignorance in the name of spiritualism. Three institutions unique to Neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam played a crucial role in the success of the movement: the Naamghar, the Satra and the Ankiya Naata or Yaatra.

A multi-faceted genius, Srimanta Sankardeva was a spiritual leader, a social reformer, a prolific writer and a master playwright and composer, all rolled into one. He also created some cultural masterpieces of Assam, which are mainly Borgeet, and Bhaona. These elements were the parts of his Neo-Vaishnav movement. He is credited with writing six plays, referred to as Ankiya Naata: Patni Prasada, Keli-Gopal, Rukmini Harana, Ram Bijoy and Parijat Harana. It is worth mentioning here that Sankardeva preferred the term “Naata”or “Yaatra” to the nomenclature “Ankiya Naata” which was later employed by the writers of Charita Puthi.

The Ankiya Naata, the true indices of Sankardeva’s creative genius, comprises various elements from Oza-Paali, Assamese puppet dance and other theatrical institutions as well as the techniques followed in Sanskrit drama. Although the subject matters of such plays were drawn from Purana and other scriptures of the Hindu, they cannot be called “translations” in modern sense of the term. The Ankiya Naata violates the norms of Sanskrit dramaturgy and considerably differs from them in subject matter, structure, treatment and language. Although Sankardeva is sometimes considered to have been influenced by the Maithili drama (which was in vogue during the time of Sankardeva), the plays do not follow Maithili models either. Sankardeva is an innovator rather than an imitator: in many cases Sankardeva transforms his translation into a new work by way of adding new details and colours and also combining elements from various texts. Moreover, unlike his predecessors (Sanskrit playwrights) he was not adverse to wit and humour. Wedding, battle and such other acts which were prohibited in Sanskrit plays were incorporated in Ankiya Naata. Sankardeva also introduced children character in his play Patni-Prasada, which was a pioneering exercise. Never before in the history of drama, had children character been included in any Indian play. The language used in these plays is idiomatic and free-flowing, colloquial rather than Sanskritized. In Ankiya Naata the prose dialogue and the songs were written in a language called “Brajawali” (a mixture of Assamese, Maithili, Braja and other languages), although there is sometimes a sprinkling of Sanskrit shlokas. On the other hand, both Sanskrit and Maithili plays were written in a mixture of Sanskrit and Prakrits.

Each Ankiya Naata begins and ends with a Bhatima (a benediction). Unlike Sanskrit drama, this new genre of plays does not have Vidushaka (Jester) and the plays are not divided into acts. Such plays differ from the Sanskrit plays where the Sutradhar is used as a minor character. In the Ankiya Naata the Sutradhar vigorously plays the role of anchor, a coordinating character without making an exit from the scene. The Sutradhar, apart from introducing the play and the characters, continues in his role throughout the play introducing each scene and explaining the action. He also sings, dances and delivers brief discourses. Moreover, the Sutradhar serves as a link between the play and the audience. Scenes, events and situations that cannot be performed on the stage are left to the Sutradhar to describe through songs and gestures for the audience to perceive correctly.

Ankiya Naatas used to be performed in village Naamghar at night on such occasions as Janmashtami or full-moon nights or during the winter when agricultural labourers had less work to do. All actors were amateurs and the female roles were played by young men. The audience used to sit on mats or on the bare floor. Sankaradeva did never overlook aspects like proper costumes, accessories, equipments and conducive arrangement for the faultless presentations. He designed costumes of different characters in a new fashion with ethnic ingredients and there were also use of masks and other pops.

The Ankiya Naata, apart from entertaining the people, aimed at attracting the audience toward Eksaran Naam Dharma by glorifying Lord Krishna. This theatrical performance succeeded in guiding the society through a truly decent path and was able to establish goodwill and friendly ties among different sections in the society by inspiring them to work in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation. Witnessing the triumph of virtue over evil forces, people became inclined to believe in God and religion.

The Ankiya naat of Sankaradeva happened to be a great cultural innovation. These plays contain verses and songs sung in appropriate melodies or ragas, along with interludes of dancing. This aspect endows the Ankiya Naata a certain similarity with modern western musicals. In this way, the Ankiya Naata provided a breeding ground of a new form classical music which can aptly be called Sankari Sangeet. The Ankiya Naat also paved the way for a new form of classical dance, now known as Xatriya Nritya or Sankari Nritya.

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