Gopal Singh Habbi came all the way from Himachal Pradesh to Shillong to talk about his village’s traditional dance and music and showcase a unique culture, that of mask-making. The 35-year-old artist, folk musician and theatre person recently won the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2017 for his contribution to preserving the tradition of mask-making. He presented a short lecture at U Soso Tham Auditorium during a five-day cultural programme organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi.
The Shillong Times spoke to the young artiste and his brother and inspiration, Joginder Habbi, in the city. Gopal Singh said he got interested in mask-making when he was a child.
“My father was into folk theatre and a radio artiste. Later, my eldest brother (Joginder) started a cultural group (Chureshwar Lok Nritya Sanskritik Mandal) that would perform folk theatre and music. So my interest in local tradition was from childhood,” said Gopal.
Gopal makes masks which were once used in mask dances called Sinhatoo and Bhadaltoo, the folk theatre forms once popular at Karyala and Swang in Himachal Pradesh. The masks are usually made from a special type of flour made from urad dal (black gram). But as a child, Gopal would try his hand on anything to make a mask. “I would take wheat flour dough from my mother and make masks. But those would not be strong enough. So gradually I started using the original ingredient.”
The brothers explained that the mask dances were part of religious practices and villagers would perform them on special occasions like Diwali. “We once discovered old masks in a village temple and wondered why they would be stored there. Then after enquiring we found out about the age-old mask dances and decided to revive it. However, according to tradition, we had to take permission from the devta (the local deity) to do so. And we did it,” the brothers said.
Joginder and his troupe started to perform the mask dances but realised that to buy the masks from market, it would cost them Rs 7,000-10,000 each. “Even if we had paid there was no artiste left in the villages who could make the mask. And all the old-timers have shifted to more lucrative professions. That was when I approached Gopal to help us out,” said the senior artiste.
Gopal started making masks from 2005-06. He would initially use the mixture of lentil flour and saw dust, knead it into dough and put it in a mould to make masks. But he observed that these masks would not last for years and after a few performances, they would start wearing off. So he improvised and started using Fevicol during the process of making the dough. “The masks took very long to dry up but once dried they were the toughest of the lot,” said Gopal, who is from Jalag village in the state’s Sirmaur district.
There are two types of masks which are used in the traditional dances, one made on the mould and the other from wood. The artist also makes wooden masks.
Traditionally, a wooden mask was made from a single piece of wood from a particular tree found in Himachal. “The wood is lighter and makes it easier for performers to wear them and dance,” he explained.
Gopal said he does not always use a single piece of wood. The work is tedious and he takes five to six days to finish a mask. The artist has to make the wood hollow by scooping out the inside. Then he sculpts different faces on it. Gopal uses the traditional tools for making the wooden masks. “I learned woodcraft from another brother who is a carpenter. But he does not want to make masks because it is not profitable,” he said.
Some of the masks which he had made earlier are now exhibited in a museum in Himachal Pradesh.
The Habbi brothers have travelled to many places in the country to perform the dances. They said the mask dance, which depicts many animal characters, is also used in spreading awareness on wildlife conservation in the state as well as in other parts of the country. “We never use the art form to earn money. It is a divine thing for us. And by god’s grace we are successful in preserving the dying art form,” said Joginder.
The masks made by Gopal are regularly used by other cultural groups for their performances. He has performed mask dances and fold dances of Himachal Pradesh in various national festivals like Adi Rang Mahotsav organised by the Ministry of Culture and has represented India in various festivals organised by ICCR in countries like Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece in 2009. He is also the recipient of Saindhar Samman by Saindhar Kala Manch in 2010.
Talking about Sinhtoo dance, Gopal said the word means cub of a tiger. “We worship tigers in our villages. Many of the goddesses we worship are mounted on a tiger,” he explained.
The dresses which Sinhtoo actors wear were earlier made from barks of trees using indigenous methods. But that material too failed the test of time and the artistes, “with advice from senior members of the community”, started using jute, the brothers explained.
Artistes from other states: Gopal was among the 30 reciepients of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2017. The other artists — dancers, Hindustani vocalists, folk musicians, singers and dancers, folk theatre artistes and thespians, among others — performed at the city auditorium.
. ~ NM