Mayurpankhee: an almost extinct folk song

[ajoy....@gmail.com]

Mayurpankhee song is a form of folk song only could be found in
southern part of Bardhaman district in the winter, after harvesting,
i.e., in the middle of January. Generally two teams compete with each
other. They decorate two bullock carts each in the form of a boat and
drive side by side. The subject of the song is based on the love of
Lord Krishna and Radha.

This form is now almost extinct due to two reasons: (a) this part of
the district is no more a remote one which is enabling rapid
urbanization and causing introduction of easier entertainments like
video film show and the like; (b) mainly the peasants were involved in
this and they have got no more spare time after harvesting of
'Kharif' crop as introduction of 'Boro' crop in this part of
the district snatched their leisure time which was unknown in these
parts previously.

Mayurpankhee is a form of performing art which is almost extinct. Naren
Thander of the village Kona Krishnapur is the only person living who is
bearing the torch of this art. He is now eighty years old. After his
death this form will be lost completely from this region. But this form
was very common in entire southern part of Bardhaman district and the
adjoining part of Bankura, Nadia and Hoogly district even some 100
years back.

The form is going to be extinct due to various reasons like impact of
dominant culture through: (a) introduction of modern media, (b) rapid
urbanization initiated by good communication, (c) economic growth of
local society (d) absence of social maintenance and negligence to the
local culture. The community connected to this art form is one of the
major populations in the southern part of Bengal, known as 'Barga
Kshatriya'. Presently they belong to scheduled cast and depend solely
on agricultural works. They are poor people but not poverty stricken.
Basically hard working in nature and some of them possess small amount
of cultivable land. Almost all of the children of this community get at
least primary education. They had many folk culture forms earlier but
lack of awareness and pride of their own culture caused total
destruction of those forms.

One interesting point can be noted in Mayurpankhee song, That is,
though the subject of the song invariably connects with Lord Krishna
and Radha but the songs are not devotional in nature, not even those
are love songs. On the contrary, the songs are with teasing languages,
sometimes even those intends personal attack to Krishna or, to Radha.

As mentioned earlier that two bullock carts are decorated in the form
of Mayurpankhee boat (ancient boat- type for the elites with a peacock
head design in the front of the boat), one each for Lord Krishna and
Radha. In each cart seven 'Sakhee'/ 'Sakha' (friends) of Radha/
Krishna make the troop.

It was a part of Makar puja (worship of the Goddess Ganga) on the last
day of the Bengali month Poush. Presently that Ganga puja is also
abolished because the villagers are reluctant to take part in it and
not interested to contribute for this and Mayurpankhhee song.

There were traces of this form in the adjoining areas even forty years
back. Now it is extinct, except the existence of Naren Thandar.