It seemed rather easy for the five women clad in traditional Rajasthani attire of brilliant ghaghra cholis to sweep the audience away at the Katara Drama Theatre on Saturday. The dancers synced their moves and magic on stage to the rhythm and strains of five male folk musicians performing live alongside them, presenting Qatar what Kalbeliya song and dance and Rajasthani folk forms are all about.


POST-SHOW CEREMONY: The dignitaries, including Indian ambassador Sanjeev Arora, with the troupe.

Organised by the embassy of India in co-operation with Katara and Indian Cultural Centre, the Kalbeliya dance and music show drew a big wave of applause from the multicultural audience. The Senusapera Rajasthani Group, helmed by the lead dancer Supki Sapera, gave it their all as they teamed up with a solid group of folk musicians from their state Rajasthan — Ilyas Khan on harmonium and vocals, Sardar Khan on sarangi and vocals, Ayub Khan on dholak, Om Nath on manjira, and Lalu Ram on khartaal.
Under the changing multi-hued arc lights that only added to the mood, the show took off with a robust rendition of Kesariya Balam. Sung in Mand style, it is a beautiful welcome song and one of the most popular Rajasthani folk pieces. Next, it was time for Supki and her friends — Sushila, Lakka, Dhana, and Poonam — to break into the chari dance. It is an ode to the everyday task of collecting water in a chari or pot by Rajasthani women who walk long distances in villages. Supki and her dancer friends gracefully balanced water-filled brass pots on their heads as they made the moves.
Progressively complex was the Bhavai dance, where the ladies had to balance seven pots on their hands and still pull off difficult body movements. At one point, Supki, with the pots on her head, even danced on a plate, knives and glass! To keep the mix interesting and give the dancers a break, the musicians presented some soul-nourishing sufi songs such as Dama Dam Mast Qalandar and famous Qawwalis Allah Hoo, and Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad.
Setting a dazzling new benchmark for showmanship was Lalu Ram whose energetic act involved dancing while balancing three spinning bicycle wheels on his head, hands, toes, or even belly. After singing a Gorband folk piece, the musicians played for the audience something some of them might have heard in a Bollywood film — Nimbooda Nimbooda, a folk song that was popularised by Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
And then Supki and her friends gathered once again for a fitting finale — the Kalbeliya dance. Clad in shimmering, ornate attire bursting with colours and bling, the women imitated the movements of a snake. For the Kalbeliya community, songs and dances are an expression of their traditional way of life.
Such is the innate charm and verve of the Kalbeliya folk dance and song that the Unesco, in 2010, included it in its “representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
The Unesco, on its website, says about this folk art form, “Once professional snake handlers, Kalbeliya today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the ‘khanjari’ percussion instrument and the ‘pungi’, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes. The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. Kalbeliya songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours.”
Also, the songs demonstrate “the poetic acumen of the Kalbeliya, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during performances,” the Unesco explains. Just as expected, the women dove into the Kalbeliya dance channeling all of its mesmerising energy and ended the evening on a high.
At the start of the show, Sanjeev Arora, ambassador of India to Qatar, said that a lot of Qataris visit India. “The Qataris connect particularly with Rajasthan, the large parts of which, like Qatar, are made of desert. Rajasthan has historic forts and palaces and a huge traditional ethos,” Arora said. The event was part of the third edition of Passage to India festival, organised by the Indian community, under the aegis of Indian Cultural Centre, and with the support of embassy of India, Doha, Arora added.
Catching her breath and posing for endless pictures with members of the audience, after the show, Supki looked both exhausted and delighted. “It was a great crowd here tonight. We are happy to present our culture to Qatar,” she told Community, “Kalbeliya is the traditional dance of our community. We belong to the Kalbeliya caste and the dance we dance is also called Kalbeliya. Our ancestors would catch snakes, extract their poisonous teeth, feed them milk, then play the snake-charmer’s music and make the snakes dance to their tunes. Soon, they had little girls dance alongside as well, and this caught on with people over time. The reason why the Kalbeliya costume is black in colour is because it’s representative of the snake dance.”
Supki, who is fondly known as Senusapera by her friends and family, said she has never really practiced this dance form. “Right from my childhood, I have been dancing Kalbeliya by observing others and I have learnt it this way. Now, it’s been 11 years since I embarked on a world tour — six months of every year in the West and six months in India. I have been perhaps, everywhere in the world except Australia. Europe is where we get invited the most,” she says, “As for India, we perform regularly all over the country; be it at weddings, theatre shows, or for festivals.”
The musicians group and the dancers group are thick friends because they have been performing together since they were kids. “We are so used to this now that we all know what we must do when we walk up on stage. The singers and musicians, for instance, belong to the Jodhpur gharaana and therefore, carry a rich musical heritage,” Supki said.
The best part about taking Kalbeliya to the world is to be able to see the world, she feels. “This offers us an opportunity to meet new people, visit new places and most importantly, get to share our culture with others. With traditional cultures all over the world fast diminishing, we are proud of what we do and we are embraced wherever we go. Also, to represent India across the world makes us happy,” Supki said.
But is she among the last of her generation to continue showcasing such a rich art form? “No. There are lots of families who are encouraging their children to take this up,” the 23-year-old said, “I was eight when I started. Today, one of our dancers is only 13.”