Gombhira

Gombhira
Gombhira
Stylistic origins	Chapainawabganj, Maldah District

Gombhira, Gambhira or Gamvira (Bengali: গম্ভীরা) is a type of Bengali song and dance originating in the Bengal region, from what is known today as northwestern Bangladesh and north eastern West Bengal, India.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

In West Bengal (India), gombhira performances are centred around the Malda District whereas Chapai Nawabganj District is the main centre of Gambhira performances in Bangladesh. The tradition is also popular in the nearby districts of Rajshahi and Naogaon.^[3] It is performed with a particularly distinctive rhythm and dance with two performers, always personifying a man and his maternal grandfather, discussing a topic to raise social awareness.

Gambhira mask[edit]

The Gambhira dance is performed all over the Malda district of North Bengal during the festival of Chaitra Sankranti. The masks are made out of neem and fig trees by the local Sutradhar community. Sometimes they were also made the mask of clay.^[6]

References[edit]

^ Bangladesh. Calaccitra o Prakāśana Bibhāga (1988). Bangladesh Quarterly, Volume 8. University of California. pp. 4–8.
^ A. F. Salahuddin Ahmed; Bazlul Mobin Chowdhury (2004). Bangladesh, national culture, and heritage: an introductory reader. Independent University, Bangladesh. pp. 407–410. ISBN 978-984-8509-00-5.
^ ^a ^b Don Rubin; Chua Soo Pong; Ravi Chaturvedi; Minoru Tanokura; Ramendu Majundar (2001). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/Pacific. Taylor & Francis. pp. 78–86. ISBN 9780415260879.
^ "Mango festival and cultural programme in Chapainawabganj". The Daily Star. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
^ "Rajshahi University School, College wins divisional round". The Daily Star. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
^ "The Mask". Biswa Bangla. Retrieved 2018-02-13.