With the increase of internet culture, traditional forms of entertainment are witnessing a dip in their popularity. And with the pandemic, many folk artists had to quit the art that had survived years and offered a glimpse into our history. However, there is still hope as one such folk art is trying to revive itself. West Bengal’s Bolan Gaan, one of the oldest forms of Bengali folk culture, is on the verge of extinction.
Bolan Gaan is Bengali folk form where artists paint their face in vibrant colours and sing, dance, and perform a folk tale. It is usually performed during the Gajan festival, which is dedicated to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva. According to a report by Ananda Bazar, the Bengali dictionary shows that the word ‘bolan’ means salutation or proverb. The report also added that a group of folk researchers think that the origin of Bolan Gaan may be from the Bengali word for travel. It is believed that following the Turkish invasion of Bengal, Bolan Gaan songs were sung on the occasion of Lord Shiva’s Gajan. In this folk art, there are four types of Bolan Gaan: Damra Bolan, Pala Bolan, Sakhi Bolan and Shmashan Bolan. At one time, Bolan songs were prevalent in large areas of Birbhum, Nadia, Burdwan and Murshidabad regions of West Bengal.
However, now the artists of Bolan Gaan find themselves struggling. According to a recent report by The Indian Express, one Bolan artist Tarapada Mondal, who has been associated with folk culture for the last decade and a half, said, “The pandemic temporarily halted it. But now, it has started again. The situation, however, is bleak.”
Mondal said that not many people show interest in Bolan anymore. 35-year-old Sujan Majhi, who is also a Bolan artist, told the national daily that he had a dozen members in his team but now he is left with just half of them. Majhi told The Indian Express that the young generation is not interested in folk art anymore since they have mobile phones to entertain them. Now the art is only enjoyed by the elderly people of the rural West Bengal regions.
