Kalakriti - Cultural Repertoire

For Yuvak Biradari, art is a medium and not an end by itself.

Since 1975, Biradari has been utilizing different folk and classical art forms of dance, drama and music through its Kalavrinda to further its objective of public awareness.

Biradari has created many dance-dramas and ballet productions and has a group of 100 young talented artists called ‘Kalavrinda’ who have performed more than 2500 shows all over India and abroad with great success and popularity.

A. Swachhatecha Panduranga—Lok Kalakriti

Folk art has a unique place in the life of any society and country.
Through Swachhatecha Panduranga program, Biradari has endeavored to spread public awareness by using the medium of Maharashtrian folk art forms. Bhupali has been depicted for happiness and prosperity in society and adherence to scientific approach in daily life; Vasudev for adopting the norms of cleanliness and hygiene; Jaagran for women welfare and empowerment, Jogwa for conservation of five basic elements of nature (pancha tatwa); Panchamiche Geet for village development and self-reliance; Laavni for elimination of addiction from intoxicants; Abhanga Dindi for strength and purity of character and devotion; and Gaja Nritya for population control, forestation (vanrai), water preservation etc. have been used and popularized by Biradari in Maharashtra in order to spread the messages of Mahatma Gandhi, Tukdoji Maharaj and Sant Gadge Baba.

In a ‘Save Water and Cleanliness’ drive since August 2002, many groups of artist Biradars have made more than 250 of these presentations at numerous places in Maharashtra. Biradari contingent has reached out to common people with a tableau, public meetings, posters, banners, pledge and signature campaigns, street plays and this musical and dance production in folk style. This music has been distributed among thousands of people. This drive has, indeed, made visible differences in the life style of the people in the areas that were visited.

With inspiration and support from R R Patil (senior Minister of Maharashtra), this project is conceptualized by Kranti Shah and produced by Vilas Jaitapkar, Sahebrao Thage, Vaishali Samant, Ashok Waingankar and Madhu Redkar, and has been presented by the team of Pradeep Naik, Rajay Vatandar, Yogendra Kawle, Pranita Sawant, Sonali Salian and 50 other artists from Wardha and Mumbai. Biradari intends to take this program to many more people in various states of India, with a translated version of this program in other local languages.

B. Folk Presentations

• Biradari created a folk production in 1977 under the supervision of Vilas Jaitapkar and was directed by Aruna Vikas Desai. After its very first presentation at Nehru Stadium, Guwahati, the great musician-poet Dr. Bhupen Hazarika appreciated it and expressed solidarity with Biradari. Later on, he graced Presidentship of Yuvak Biradari for many years.
  After Guwahati, this production was presented throughout India with more than 750 shows till 1995. Credits for it go to Guru Parvati Kumar, Ramesh Purav, Rekha Shah, Hem Suvarna, Pradeep Naik, Subhash Dhanawade, Parab sisters, Nutan and 100 other artists.

• For promotion of sports among youth, Biradari organised almost 1000 shows of the sports-based film Moscow Olympic in 37 towns of Maharashtra. To inculcate patriotic feelings, almost 200 shows of the film Bharat Ke Rachnakar (produced by Shyam Benegal, based on the life of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru have been organised in Maharashtra.

• Biradari showcased traditional folk art and cultural heritage with music-dance-drama at various utsavs and fairs in India over the last three decades, some of which include following: Asiad 1982, Agriculture Fair (Calcutta, 1982), Agriculture Fair (Nagpur, ’84), India International Trade Fair (New Delhi, ’83, ’84, ’85), Filmfare Utsav 1984, 14-days workshop for performing arts and cinema at the International Children’s Film Festival (Trivandrum, November 1991; Udaipur October 1993; Hyderabad, November 1993).

C. Nritya Bharati

India is a unique country that has created a great and unparalleled tradition of classical dances. Synthesizing these seven beautiful dance forms (Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri and Mohini Attam), Biradari has produced the program Nritya Bharati, and presented it various places in India.
Suparna and Sai Venkatesh have created it for Biradari, with Ashit Desai’s ‘Om Shanti’ and ‘Sarva Mangal Mangalya’ renditions exuding noble messages for the welfare of the world.

D . Street plays (Nukkad Kalakriti)

Biradari has performed more than 1000 shows of its following nukkad kalakriti (street play) productions:

• Jodo Bharat: For public awareness, Biradari has produced many programs of 10-20 minutes duration. This Jodo Bharat ballet (conceptualized by Kranti Shah, music composition by Kuldip Singh and written by Payaam Saidi) appeals for world peace and development.

• Shanti Doot: Based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision of life and paying homage to the memory of the ‘Architect of Modern India’ who contributed to peace and prosperity in the world through democracy and science & technology, this ballet appeals for the society to pledge to his dreams.

• Ganga Kyon Behti Hai?: Originally rendered by great artists like Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and Rama Guha Thakurta, this ballet is reinterpreted for Biradari by Rekha Shah to exhort the conscience of people, pleading them to introspect and do away with social ills.

• Vande Mataram: Produced with contributions from Jayendra and Rajay Vatandar, Bipin Mhatre, Pranita Sawant and others in association with Aavishkar Kala Manch, this ballet is another outstanding contributor in the cultural repertoire of Biradari.

E. Bharat Gaurav Gatha

For the first time in 1976, Biradari exhibited a puppet theatre production Bharat Gaurav Gatha, conceptualized and produced by Sushila Patel (Gokhale), a feminist activist with progressive ideas, based on the landmark events in Indian history since ancient times till the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Biradari brought it to five lakh students and citizens in India.