Bhānds (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental syste ...

: भांड;

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( pa, ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). It is used by Punjabi Sikhs to write the language, commonly r ...

: ਭੰਡ) are the traditional folk entertainers of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an

endogamous Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...

Muslim community, which is no longer involved in their traditional occupation of folk entertainment. They include actors, dancers, minstrels, storytellers and impressionists. Payment for performances is usually voluntary: often, one performer goes around the audience collecting money on a "pay-what-you-can" basis while the others continue to perform. While most belong to families that are engaged in folk entertainment as their hereditary profession, their specific art forms vary greatly by region, community and language. The term ''bhand'' itself can also mean both a specific dramatic story or an entire form/school of drama. Bhands kept an eye on a house where a child was due. If the new born was a boy, bhands would perform in front of the house, blessing the child and family, and entertaining the neighbours.

Bhand of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, the Bahand are an endogamous Muslim community. Their ancestors were employed at the court of the various local rulers as folk entertainers, in particular at the court of the

Nawabs of Awadh The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishapu ...

. Most Bahand in Uttar Pradesh are no longer involved with folk entertainment. What now binds the community is a sense of stigma attached to the community on account of their ancestral occupation. They are now mainly involved in wage labour; many

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

city are

rickshaw A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...

puller. Little is known about the origin of this community, other than that their ancestors were . The community has been granted

Other Backward Class The Other Backward Class is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially backward. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General castes, S ...

status, which gives the community some benefits with regards reservation in public sector jobs. They are

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Muslims, and speak

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. The

Naqqal The Naqqal are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in India. They are also known as the Kashmiri Bhand and recently as Kashmiri Shaikh. The Naqqal are a sub-group within the larger Bhand community.People of India Ut ...

sub-group has done better, and now prefer the self-designation Kashmiri Shaikh. They are now a community of successful businessmen.

Bahand Pather of Kashmir

''Bahand Pather'' is a ''bahand'' of the

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

region in which stories commemorating the lives of (Sufi sages, both Hindus and Muslims) or more contemporary real or fictional figures are enacted. The storylines (or ''pathers'') are often humorous and satirical, and

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

is an essential component of the plays.

Naqal of Punjab

''Naqal'' (mimicry) is a strong ''bahand'' tradition in the Punjab region. The ''naqalchi'' (mimic, sometimes called the ''

bahrupiya A behrupiya or bahrupiya ( Hindustani: बहरूपिया or بہروپیا) is an impressionist in the traditional performing arts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Once popular and widespread, the art form is now in decline with most practiti ...

'') adopts the persona of a well-known person or character and improvises, using satire and farce extensively, to entertain the audience.

The Ustad and jamoora format

The ''ustad- jamoora'' format (''ustad'' means master in Hindustani, while ''jamoora'' is an assistant or follower who is usually younger than the ''ustad'') is a popular one in Hindi-speaking regions and involves only two ''bhand'' actors. Usually, the storylines consist of the ''ustad'' tutoring the ''jamoora'' to do or say something, and the ''jamoora'' responding with mechanical obedience with a subtle variation thrown in that creates a strong comical or satirical effect.

References

{{Indian Muslim Muslim communities of India Social groups of Jammu and Kashmir Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Social groups of Pakistan Folk artists Performing arts in India Performing castes Performing arts in Pakistan

Bhand of Uttar Pradesh

Bahand Pather of Kashmir

Naqal of Punjab

The Ustad and jamoora format

See also

References