Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Jan 11: In continuance of its role in showcasing Jammu’s folk forms of dance and music, especially those at the verge of extinction, holding of ‘Hern Festival’ by Jammu Regional Office of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, on the lawns of Press Club, was a Lohri gift for the Jammuites as this particular folk dance form is especially performed on this festival.
Organized by ICCR in association with Press Club Jammu, the vibrant ‘Hern’ presentation by cultural group ‘Sabrang’ of Chinji Makwal of Ramkot, under its director Charan Dass Magotra, unleashed the magic of folk wit as well as dynamic steps of the folk dance form of great antiquity. Charan Dass Magotra himself played as King and made interesting comments on the contemporary socio-economic and political status of the State which was highly applauded and appreciated by the audiences.
In ‘Hern’ A group of performers with Hern (Deer) as its central character supported by a group of folk dancers in traditional attire, local drum players and few prominent characters like ‘Raja’, ‘Wazir’, ‘Sadhu’, and a caretaker of Hern move in a carnival and this mobile traditional theatre moves from house to house covering the entire village. Singing and dancing, this group of performers reflects upon the socio, economic and political state of the area through small satirical acts. The Raja represents the Ruler; the Wazir represents the bureaucracy, and the co-dancers, the public and there begins the caricature of the rule, the wisdom behind and the sufferings of the common-man. Two actors wearing a mask of the deer, through their body language, create interesting rhythmic moves. The traditional play moves at the will of the movement of ‘Hern’. The change of the postures of the Hern gives new twists to the story line and all performers judiciously follow that.
Welcoming the invited guests, Regional Director of ICCR Jammu, Balwant Thakur informed that ICCR, Jammu take pride in reviving the rarest performing arts tradition of Jammu Region. ICCR in its endeavour to bring the cultural traditions of this region to National/International limelight, so far has organised ‘Geetru Festival’, ‘Karkaan Festival’, ‘Bhaakh Festival’, ‘Kud Festival’ and ‘Jagarna Festival’. Speaking on the occasion Sohail Kazmi, President of Press Club Jammu said that it becomes the larger responsibility of all to promote the ethnic traditions of Art and Culture. The artists who performed in the Hern Festival included Surinder Gupta, Tara Chand, Pawan Singh, Shiv Ram Samyal, Daljeet Kumar, Rumaal Chand, Chunni Lal Sharma, S.L. Bhardwaj, Beeru Ram, Uttam Chand and Sunny Sharma.
The show was ably conducted and presented by Rahul Singh. Prominent among those who were present on the occasion O.P Vidyarathi, Kumar A Bharti and Kirpal Singh and others.
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