Having in mind the local linguistic situation and the fact that in a mountainous region like Kumaun Division the rate of illiteracy is bound to be higher than the average two thirds of the population, one cannot but wonder how, with the Ramcharitmanas serving as the textual basis, can function as a theatrical medium in a Ramlila presentation in a place like Bhimtal, i.e. more precisely, how it is rendered by local actors, communicated to and perceived by a local audience. In order to comprehend the aesthetic functioning of the Ramlila, it is first of all important to realize that practically every Indian, whether Hindu or not, is familiar, from his very infancy, with the charit, the life and deeds of Lord Rama; he is fortunate enough to grow up and old with an operative mythology, i.e. a reservoir of mental images arranged in stories known throughout his society in which he, in his role as both producer and recipient of art, has the advantage over his Western counterpart. Thus as a rule, the aesthetic, and for that matter, religious pleasure (Ananda) the Indian spectator takes in a Ramlila performance is not evoked by unexpectedness and surprise, but on the contrary, the artistic fulfilment of his expectations by his on stage performance. Since in the Ramlila, Tulsidas' Old Avadhi is used for telling a well-known tale once again, much of its informative function is temporarily suspended, and along with it its ordinary, everyday semantics. Instead, it is rendered and perceived as language beyond rational understanding, as zaum, a term introduced by early 20th century Russian criticism in order to designate language produced with a poetic purpose on the base of, and deviating from, ordinary Russian; in the present context, we propose to speak of zaum in the sense of language not, or no longer, understood rationally but accepted and appreciated for its very difference from everyday language, as art at a distance from non-art. Thus, Tulsi's language serves as an artistic instrument in a Ramlila performance to build up an atmosphere of sacredness-an effect reinforced by an inclination still prevalent in India, perhaps more than anywhere else, to be impressed by the sacredness of shabda, authentic word-sound, as opposed to and sometimes even divorced from artha, word-sense. It can be safely assumed that the Ramcharitmanas passages, many of them sung, are received as oral tradition by an audience composed of a majority of illiterates; what is more important here is that enunciating the words of Tulsidas, as well as listening to them, evokes a feeling of elevation among the participants, a conviction that every member of the Ramlila community at least once every year partakes in the dignity of tradition. At Bhimtal, like anywhere else in India, the Ramlila is exceptional in the sense that it constitutes a jointly organized attempt to break away from the dreariness of everyday routine; this exceptionality is reflected in the 'otherness' of the language used on this occasion. In Indian culture, the Nataka has traditionally been seen as much closer to music and dance than to verbal art. Quite naturally therefore, and in accordance with pure, ancient faith the pundit starts with a reference to the musical knowledge of the Aryan race, the crowning achievement of which is the classical Sanskrit drama. |
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