PURVARANGA: PRELUDE TO ANKIYA BHAONA

Arup Saikia 

(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)

The first book about Indian culture, comprising music and drama, Natya Shastra, is written by sage Bharata. We can consider this book as the grammar of Indian culture. The duration of its creation is estimated to be between 500 BCE and 500 CE. Purvaranga is like a “Sthapana” (placing) of a drama. The entire formalities or introductory activities before performing a drama are called Purvaranga in Natya Shastra. It’s not the main part of the drama, but it’s the dramatic preliminary or curtain raiser of a drama. The all-mediaeval traditional Indian dramas almost have preliminaries with some regional modifications. It’s available in the fifth chapter of Natya Shastra. The components of the Assamese Bhaona orchestra have sahini, jorini, salona, gheta, taloni, and many more. Some of the prominent musical genres are called “Dhemali” (Play).The Sanskrit drama has almost twenty divisions of Purvaranga. Likewise, the Purvaranga of Assamese Ankiya Bhaona has also many divisions and subdivisions as mentioned above. The “Dhemali” alone has varieties of Ghosha Dhemali, Saru Dhemali, Bor Dhemali, etc. The main parts of the Purvaranga in Sanskrit drama are written below.

The Purvaranga name itself bears its activities as a prelude to the drama. That is ritualistic deeds that additionally contribute to complement the show. The legendary Indian poet Kalidas describes the drama as a performance of imaginary eyes. An extra measure (Purvaranga) is taken to create an environment and visualise the project in reality. Some of its, approximately nine, units are performed behind the scenes, and the others are in full view of audiences on the stage. The units of Purvaranga are always approximate. Some dramatists or scholars necessarily add or remove a few units in different perspectives. As the story of the drama, the Purvaranga is presented in sequences. These are—

1: PRATYAHARA: The whole programme is started with music. So this is to bring musical instruments to the stage for upcoming performances.

2: AVATAARANA: After arranging the musical instruments, the singers sit to adjust, maybe as a prior practice.

3: ARAMBHA: To start rehearsing songs.

4: ASRAVAANA: The tuning of percussion.

5: VAAKTRAPANI: The tuning of the wind instruments.

6: PARIGHATTANA: The tuning of the stringed instruments.

7: SAMGHOTANA: The movement of the hands is most important. It’s to rehearse the poses of the hands. 

8:MARGASARITA: Simultaneous playing of different instruments.

9: ASARITA: The entry and practice of girls dancing.

All the above-mentioned units are performed offstage or behind the scenes. The below-mentioned units are performed after raising the curtain.

1: GEET: The songs sung on stage in praise of God.

2: UTTHAPANA: The banner of heavenly God Indra is properly positioned. Meanwhile, Sutradhara appears flanked by two pariparsvikas (attendants).The attendants carry a water jug and a banner of Indra. The Sutradhara scatters flowers and cleans himself with water from the jug.

3: PARIVARTANA: Moving around the stage. It’s all about praising the creator of the world. The banner of Indra is devotionally taken. On the other hand, sutradhara rhetorically intones benediction verses.

4: NANDI: This is a prime poetic verse of drama intoned by sutradhara. It’s one kind of prayer at the beginning of the drama.

5: SHUSHKAAVAKRISHTA: Sutradhara recites in a very imposing tune. It’s sung in praise of the “Jarjara” (Divine weapon), king, or Lord Brahma.

6: RANGADVARA: There are two kinds of acting. One is done by mere dialogue without showing physical poses. This is called “Vachik”(Oral). he other one is done through whole-body movements. This is called “Aangik (related to limbs).

7:CHARI: It covers shringar rasa (flavour) of classical Indian arts. It’s the most prominent of the nine rasas and symbolizes the art of love. The maximum number of dramas, be they mythological or modern, are based on erotic love and separation. The characteristics of mythology remain for its religious cap only. It can generate other rasas also, like mother art.

8: MAHACHARI: It’s the demeanour of “Raudra rasa(Furious sentiment). The angry expression or genre can be termed as ”Uddhata tandav” in Sanskrit drama.

9: TRIGATA: It’s said earlier that sutradhara comes with pariparsvaka (Assistant). It’s the interaction between sutradhara, pariparsvika, and vidushak (jester).

10: PRALOCHANA: This is actually the prayer of the sutradhara for the successful presentation of the play.

The Natya Shastra is the mother book of Indian classical drama.Later it’s modified and developed to a limited extent on the very foundation of the Natya Shastra. The above-mentioned units are original or basic Purvaranga found by Bharat Muni, known as “Chaturasra.”. When the same Purvaranga is concisely presented, dramatists call it “Tryasra.” Sometimes gods and goddesses dance on a manually made carpet of flowers. This Purvaranga is named as “Citra”.

As stated earlier, the Purvaranga isn’t part of the drama.Writer Bharata Muni also implicitly suggests binding the performance of Purvaranga within a specific time frame. The visual taste of audiences should be the utmost motto of a drama.Gradually, with the advance of time, some parts of the Purvaranga, especially nandi, are included in the main drama. So to maintain the reasonable length of the drama, the Purvaranga is shortened drastically, preserving the main orchestra and dances. Another noted dramatist, Bhasa, also contributes a lot to the drama-worthy modification of the Purvaranga. Bharat Muni describes the structure of verses for the nandi.He sets six to eight padas (inflected words) as the standard line. There isn’t any religious barrier to composing it. It may be composed by the director, poet, etc., and has to be recited by the sutradhara himself or his attendants (Pariparsvikas). It isn’t known exactly since when it became a precedent to perform nandi before staging the play. But after Bhasa, nandi is played before the real story in all the Sanskrit plays. The nandi has to explain the theme of the play.The Ankiya Bhaona dramas of Assam also followed suit.The “Agni Purana” also emphasises much importance on Nandi and considers it as one important part of the twenty-two limbs of the purvaranga. Dhananjay, the court poet of king Munja of the Paramara dynasty, explicitly elaborates about Nandi and the Purvaranga. Author Dhananjay based his treatise, Dasharupakam, on the Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni. He urges for melodious nandi for a sweet beginning of the drama.

Sankardeva has deviated little from the very structure of Bhasa and Bharat Muni. Two persons hold “Aar kapur(curtain) before the entry of the sutradhara in Ankiya Bhaona instead of two Pariparsvikases of Sanskrit drama. To pray and adore the Lord, the sutradhara walks five steps towards the front. It’s called “Pancha Nadi” (Five Rivers) or “Vishnu Padi(Feet of Lord Vishnu). The sutradhara of Ankiya Bhaona sits on the floor like the “Ura” of Sankari dance and remains in a saluting gesture (Namaskar). Sequentially he starts to dance to the musical tune of Nandi. The sutradhara of Sanskrit drama has to pray many Gods in four directions.But the Assamese Bhaona born on the monotheistic ideology of Sankardeva. No other Gods are worshipped besides one supreme Lord. Sutradhara recites “Nandi” after worshiping “Jarjara”. After “pralochana”, sutradhara exits from the venue and “Sthapak”(Introducer) enters.That “Sthapak” may be sutradhara also. It isn’t clear or fixed. 

In Assamese Bhaona drama, the conductor or sutradhara says to the companion, “Akashe karnandtva, ahe sangi, ki vadya bajata.” ( Echoing from the sky to the ears, hello friend, what is the musical instrument being played?)

COMPANION: “Ahe sangi, akashe deva dundubhi bajata.” (Hello friend, the divine drum is being played in the sky.)

The entry of the first character starts immediately after this dialogue, and Purvaranga ends.

(Arup Saikia is a cultural enthusiast, Bhaona artiste,noted writer, and alumnus of the University of Delhi.)