>The9Man at 14:42, 16 May 2021

2021-05-16T14:42:21Z

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{{Short description|Bengali folk form}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name = Kobi Gaan
| native_name = কবি গান
| image =
| alt =
| caption = Kobi Gaan parforming in Movie [[Jaatishwar]], [[Prosenjit Chatterjee]](middle) as a Kobiaal.
| stylistic_origins = [[Bengali folk song]]
| cultural_origins = [[British India]]
}}
{{Culture of Bengal}}
{{Music of West Bengal}}
{{Music of Bangladesh}}

'''Kavigan''', '''Kobi Gaan''', '''Kobi Lorai''' or '''Kabigan''' ({{lang-bn|কবিগান}}) is a form of [[Bengali language|Bengali]] folk performance wherein folk poets sing and perform. A verbal duel among the poets, this mystic minstrels art was popular with rural folk form in nineteenth century in [[Bengal]] region, which includes the [[India|Indian state]] of [[West Bengal]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref name=paschim>Das,Kishoriranjan, ''Radha Birbhumer Kaviwala O Kavigan'', ''Paschim Banga'', Birbhum Special Issue, pp. 289–309, (in Bengali), February 2006, Information and Culture Dept., Government of West Bengal</ref><ref name=DARICHA>{{cite web | url=http://www.daricha.org/sub_genre.aspx?ID=38&Name=Kobi%20Gaan| title=Kobi Gaan}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=November 2018}}. The mythological themes from both Hindu and Muslims religious texts were commonly used for Kobi Gaan.

==Form==
Kavigan is normally sung by two groups. Each group is led by a {{transl|bn|kaviyal}} or {{transl|bn|sarkar}}. The accompanying singers called {{transl|bn|dohars}} often repeat what the leader said.<ref name=Bangalpedia>{{cite book |last=Sarker |first=Swarochish |year=2012 |chapter=Kavigan |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Kavigan |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> A kavigan programme starts with ''bandana'' (evocation) or ''gurudever geet'' (song of the sect patron). The ''bandana'' can be directed to or be in praise of [[Saraswati]], [[Ganesh]], people, and the audience, as deemed fit by a particular{{transl|bn|kaviyal}}. This is followed by Radha–Krishna related song, some call it ''agamani''. Then songs on four subjects are sung: {{transl|bn|sakhi sambad}}, {{transl|bn|biraha}}, {{transl|bn|lahar}} and {{transl|bn|kheur}}. {{transl|bn|Sakhi sambad}} deals with the love-songs related to Radha-Krishna. Biraha is about the mortal pang of separation of common human beings. Kheur is mainly about gods and goddesses, but often includes mild slangs. Finally, the competitive part starts. It mainly consists of the Lahar, where the competitors personally attack each other, musico-verbally.<ref name=paschim/> In kavigan, also referred to as ''kabir larai'', two person who are lyricist plus composer at the same time answer each other in form of songs.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.infobengal.com/html/FilmFrame.html | title= Bengali music can be broadly classified under five heads | publisher=infobengal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110110037/http://www.infobengal.com/html/FilmFrame.html |archive-date=10 January 2008 | access-date = 22 March 2009 }}</ref>

==History==
In his ''Banglar Kavigan'', Sajani Kanta Das said, "Kavigan was born out of a synthesis of various art forms prevalent in different parts of Bengal at different times having peculiar names such as [[Tarja (folk poetry contest)|tarja]], panchali, kheur, akhrai, half akhrai, full akhrai, danra kavigan, basa kavigan, dhap kirtan, tappa, Krishna jatra, tukkagiti etc."<ref name=paschim/> Various literary researchers such as [[Ishwar Chandra Gupta]] and Dr. Harekrishna Mukhopadhyay have dwelt at length on the origins and development of kavigan.<ref name=paschim/>

Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey opines, "The existence of kabi songs may be traced to the beginning of the 18th century or even beyond it to the 17th; but the flourishing period of the Kabiwalas was between 1760 and 1830."<ref name=paschim/> As the religious and ritualistic content in Bengali poetry wore out there was a tendency to break away from the traditional [[Vaishnava]] poetry but the real breakthrough came only with the introduction of the printing press in mid–18th century. From the close of the 18th century for more than half a century the new kavi–poetry and panchali reigned supreme in the Kolkata region and almost threatened to sweep everything else in literature.<ref>Sen, Sukumar, Dr., History of Bengali Literature, Sahitya Akademi, pp. 156–157, {{ISBN|81-7201-107-5}}</ref> However, while Kavigan lost its supremacy in Kolkata, it retained its position in rural Bengal.<ref name=paschim/>
{{quote box|width=475px| quote= <center>The ''mug'' of Mymensingh is better, and the ''kai'' fish of Khulna; Dhaka's ''pataksir'' is better, and the yoghurt of Bankura; The sweetmeat makers of Krishnanagar are better, and the mangoes of Maldaha; Ulo's male monkeys are better, and the blackberries of Murshidabad; The fathers-in-law of Rangpur are better, and the sons–in–law of Rajshahi; The boats of Noakhali are better, and the midwives of Chittagong; The Kayets of Dinajpur are better, and the wine sellers of Howrah; The Vaishnavas of Pabna are better, and the ''mudi'' of Faridpur; The cultivators of Burdwan are better, and the milkmen of 24-Paraganas; The girls of Guptipara are better–beware your line will soon become extinct. The fighters and ruffians of Hughli are better, and the buttermilk of Birbhum. It is better if the rhythm of the ''dhak'' stops and all utter the name of Hari in chorus.</center>|source= Banglapedia<ref name=Bhola>{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Wakil |year=2012 |chapter=Bhola Moira |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bhola_Moira |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>
}}
Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey has a word of praise for the {{transl|bn|kaviyals}}, "These poets were, no doubt, born among the people (lowest classes), lived with the people and understood perfectly their ways of thinking and feeling; hence their direct hold upon the masses of whom many a modern writer is contentedly ignorant."<ref name=paschim/>

Kobigaan was a debating contest between two minstrels (Kobiaal | the poets of the Kobigaan genre) and their troupes (Dohars) in Verse with some traditional musical instruments of Bengal. The mythological themes as well as the erotic themes were used. When mythological themes was used in Kobigaan, that was called Torja, this Torja was an old and traditional Kobi Gaan. The Kheyur was the second type Kobi Gaan in which erotic themes like [[Radha]] and [[Krishna]] were used as metaphorically. The originated of the Kheyur was [[Krishnanagar, Nadia|Krishnanagar]] under the patronage of Raja Krishna Chandra of [[Nadia District]]. The Dhaak, Harmonium, Kansi, Mandira and drum were the main musical instrument used in Kobi Gaan. The Kobi Gaan is still performed in villages of Bengal with a small scale.<ref name="Bangalpedia"/>

==Kaviyals==
A number of {{transl|bn|kaviyals}} attained popularity and fame. In [[Birbhum district]] alone there were about three hundred {{transl|bn|kaviyal}} from the 18th–20th century. Amongst the earliest were [[Lokokabi Lambodar Chakroborty]], Gonjla Guin, born in the 18th century and his contemporaries: Lalu–Nandalal, Raghu and Ramji. The famous 19th century {{transl|bn|kaviyals}} of Kolkata were Haru Thakur, Nitai Vairagi, Ram Basu, Bhola Maira, and Anthony Firinghee.<ref name=Bangalpedia/><ref name=paschim/>

Some of {{transl|bn|kaviyals}} in other parts of Bengal were Balahari Roy (1743–1849), Sambhunath Mondal (1773–1833), Tarakchandra Sarker (1845–1914), Haricharan Acharya (1861–1941), [[Ramesh Shil|Ramesh Chandra Shil]] (1877–1967), Rajendranath Sarkar (1892–1974), Bijaykrishna Adhikari (1903–1985),<ref name=Bangalpedia/><ref name=paschim/> Nishikanto Raysarkar.

[[Mukunda Das]], more popular as a {{transl|bn|charan kavi}}, was also a {{transl|bn|kaviyal}}.<ref name=paschim/> His character was featured in a popular Bengali film ''Balika Bodhu'', wherein the songs of Mukunda Das inspired the rural masses during the independence movement,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.citwf.com/film28204.htm | title = Balika Bodhu (1967) | access-date = 22 March 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120325012753/http://www.citwf.com/film28204.htm | archive-date = 25 March 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Another famous {{transl|bn|kaviyal}}, [[Anthony Firingee]], a Portuguese man,<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Hindu literature|author= Kuśa Satyendra|publisher=Sarup & Sons|year=2000|isbn=81-7625-159-3 |page=87 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcAwrV60cpAC&q=Antony+Firingee+poet&pg=PA87 }}</ref> was featured in a Bengali biographical film bearing his name, with [[Uttam Kumar]] portraying him.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://calcuttatube.com/2007/12/18/anthony-firingi-1981-uttam-kumar-tanuja-watch-the-bengali-movie-online/ | title=Anthony Firinghi (1981)|website=calcuttatube |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219120832/http://calcuttatube.com/2007/12/18/anthony-firingi-1981-uttam-kumar-tanuja-watch-the-bengali-movie-online/ |archive-date=19 February 2008 |access-date=22 March 2009}}{{self-published source|date=October 2015}}</ref>

Bhola Moira (19th century) {{transl|bn|kaviyal{{ was a popular and entertaining singer who could keep his audience mesmerised. Realising the importance of popular entertainment, [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar]] complimented Bhola Moira and said, "To awaken the society of Bengal, it is necessary to have orators like [[Ramgopal Ghosh]], amusing men like [[Kaliprasanna Singha|Hutom Pyancha]] and folk singers like Bhola Moira".<ref name=Bhola/> ''Bhola Moira'' is a biographical film about him, made in 1977.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6f48d873 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222102957/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6f48d873 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 22 December 2015 | title=Bhola Moira (1977) | website=British Film Institute | access-date = 17 December 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Bengali Hindu people}}

[[Category:Bengali culture]]
[[Category:Culture of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi culture]]
[[Category:Bengali poetry]]
[[Category:Music of Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian styles of music]]

Kavigan - Revision history

>The9Man at 14:42, 16 May 2021