Despite the advent of television and gadgets like mobiles, an unexpected phenomenon is gripping the State’s hinterland. The traditional practice of reciting ‘Kirtan’ in the temples is getting an overwhelming response from the younger generation.
Right from Kirtan competitions that are held at Kala Academy in Panaji to the small-time temples in the state’s hinterland, this Hindu month of Shravan, this traditional art of narrating mythological stories is getting popularity.
“There was a phase when Kirtans had started getting less response, but the trend has reversed now. Kirtankars (those reciting kirtans) are in a big demand. What is striking is that the younger generation has been attending these performances,” said Gurudas Buva Sutar, who has a record of reciting Kirtan for uninterrupted 13 hours at Ajoba Devasthan at Honda in Sattari, way back in the year 2008.
Kirtan is an art where the performer narrates the mythological story which is presented in the form of singing and also narration accompanied by Tabla and Harmonium players.
While it has been generally ruled that the younger generation is glued to the television and gadget like a cellphone, Kirtans are getting an increasingly good response in the areas like Sattari, where it is performed in the temples.
Sutar says that there are at least 50 Goan Kirtan artists who have replaced the age-old tradition of calling performers from the places like Pune, Aurangabad and Satara.
“Now, Goa-born and taught, Kirtankars are dominating the scene. Earlier it was specific only to male gender but now we have also female kirtankars fluently narrating the stories,” he said.
Sutar admits that sometimes, the musical composition during kirtan is tweaked to ensure that the younger generation identifies themselves with it.
“But while doing so, we don’t lose the essence of the tradition of Kirtan. We don’t make a mockery. We stick to the basic principles,” he said adding that “it is allowed in Kirtan to take the liberty to present your performance the way you want.”
Any Kirtankar has to be fluent in all the performing arts including oratory, singing, acting, and others. Sutar claims that it is the divine power that helps you scale through two-hour long performance. Also, the command over the language is crucial.
Kirtans are usually performed in Marathi language and usage of English words are barred. But to make the narration interesting, at times, the couple of English words or phrases are used by the performer.