There is so much, many of us need to know about our rich folk heritage. I am embarrassed to confess that, I came to know about the popularity of the legendary singer of Bihar, Dr Sharda Sinha after her sad demise. I had heard and appreciated a few popular songs of hers. All sung for Hindi films. That is all I knew about her. Social media sites are full of heartfelt obituaries, posted by people across the political, class and gender divide. She was loved by the people of Bihar and Eastern UP. I am sure she was popular in other states as well. It is just that, I was oblivious to it. New year is nearly two months away, but I have made a resolution. I will try to know more about the rich folk heritage of India.
A few years ago, I was at the India gate to capture sunrise. For those of you who are not familiar with Delhi, sunrise at India gate is a sight to behold. Will write about that some other time. This post is about the folk traditions of India. I was pleasantly surprised to see a folk dance being performed for the men in uniform. I clicked pictures of that entertaining dance and stored them in a folder named, “Dragon dance.” Still embarrassed about that, I should have tried to know about it. As they say in Hindi, “Jab jago tabhie savera“. Never too late to wake up. Through different sources on the internet, I came to know that the dance form was, “Singhi Chamm,” the Snow Lion dance of Sikkim.
The Snow Lion is considered an important cultural symbol of Sikkim and is elaborately depicted in the Singhi Chham. This folk dance is said to be introduced in the 18th century by Chador Namgyal, the third Chogyal of Sikkim, for the Panglapsool festival.
Usually two or four dummy lions perform the dance. Snow Lion dummy mask is made of white fur and cloth. Two dancers enter the lion mask and position themselves inside the mask. The legs of the dancer positioned on the front become the two forelegs of the lion. The two legs of the dancer positioned at the back form the hind legs. The two dancers by their incredibly synchronised moves, create magic. A single drummer performs with the dancers. The lions roll on the floor, stand on two feet, create humour and entertain their audience by their antics.
Like every other Indian art form Singhi Chham too has a religious side. Mount Khang-chen-Dzong-pa (Kanchenjungha) the third largest mountain in the world is sacred to the people of Sikkim. It is their guardian deity. As decreed by Guru Rimpche (Guru Padmasambhava), this majestic mountain stands guard over the land, holding within its crevices the sacred Five Treasures. Its associate peaks look like the Snow lion. The Snow lion is the mascot of the state. People consider it a supernatural creature.
There was a Yak Chham performance also at India Gate that day. I will write about that story some other day.