The powada ( mr, पोवाडा) is a genre of

Marathi poetry Marathi poetry is a poetry written in the Marathi language, including its various dialects. The poet-saints Namdev (Devanagari: नामदेव) and Dnyaneshwar (Devanagari: ज्ञानेश्वर), from Maharashtra, India, wrote the e ...

that was during the late 17th century in India. Powada, which means ‘to glorify’, is a traditional Marathi ballad that traces its history to more than 750 years Powadas often glorified and celebrated deeds of popular folk figures and leaders such as

Chhatrapati Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilsh ...

and

Tanaji Malusare Tanaji Malusare was a warrior and commander of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A local poet Tulsidas, wrote a powada describing Tanaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian ...

, and were also written to raise awareness on social issues such as

female foeticide Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the infant. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common where male children are valued over female children, especially in parts of Eas ...

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

and

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. Powadas were also used as a medium to create an awareness during

Samyukta Maharashtra movement Samyukta Maharashtra Movement ( mr, संयुक्त महाराष्ट्र चळवळ), commonly known as the Samiti, was an organisation in India that advocated for a separate Marathi-speaking state in Western India and Centr ...

. Powada is also a genre of poetry popular in Uttarakhand, specifically that glorifies warriors. It is popular in Kumaun as well as Garhwal regions of the state and is sung, performed or narrated on various occasions. It is also known as "Bhada"

Details

The composer-cum-singers of the powadas are known as ''Shahir''s. The professional powada singers formed a guild or caste known as the ''Gondhali''s. The earliest notable powada was ''The Killing of Afzal Khan'' (''अफझल खानाचा वध'') by Agnidas, which recorded Shivaji's encounter with Afzal Khan. The next notable powada was ''Tanaji Malusare'' ('' तानाजी मालुसरे'' ) by Tulsidas, which gave an account of the capture of

Sinhagad Fort Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670. The Sinhagad ...

by Tanaji. Another notable contemporary powada was ''Baji Pasalkar'' (''बाजी पसाळकर'' ) by Yamaji Bhaskar. They are also mentioned in the 13th century

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

scripture

Dnyaneshwari The ''Dnyaneshwari'' ( mr, ज्ञानेश्वरी) ( IAST: Jñānēśvarī), also referred to as ''Jnanesvari'', ''Jnaneshwari'' or ''Bhavartha Deepika'' is a commentary on the '' Bhagavad Gita'' written by the Marathi saint and poet ...

. During the

Maratha Confederacy The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

rule, several celebrated ''Shahir'' poet-singers, which include

Ram Joshi Ram Jagannath Joshi (also known as Ram Joshi) (1762-1812) was a Marathi language, Marathi poet, known for his works in Lavani, Powada, and Tamasha genre. In Popular Culture * Lokshahir Ram Joshi, a 1947 Marathi Film References

1762 births ...

(1762–1812), Anant Phandi (1744–1819),

Honaji Bala Honaji Sayaji Shilarkhane (1754–1844), known professionally as Honaji Bala, was a Marathi poet from Maharashtra, India. Honaji's compositions were sung by his friend ''Bala Karanjikar'', and together the pair was known for their ''"Honaji B ...

(1754–1844) and Prabhakar (1769–1843),

Annabhau Sathe Tukaram Bhaurao Sathe (1 August 1920 – 18 July 1969), popularly known as Anna Bhau Sathe (Marathi pronunciation: �ɳːaːbʱaːu saːʈʰe, was a social reformer, folk poet, and writer from Maharashtra, India. Sathe was a Dalit born in ...

(1920 - 1969), Atmaram Patil and Amar Sheikh composed a number of powadas. About sixty ''powada''s were collected by

Harry Arbuthnot Acworth Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

and S. T. Shaligram and published under the title, ''The Saga of Historical Heroic Men and Women'' (''इतिहास प्रसिद्ध महापुरुषांचे व स्त्रियांचे पोवाडे '') in 1891. Out of these, ten ''powada''s were translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

verse by H. A. Acworth and published as ''Ballads of the Marathas'' in 1894.

In popular culture

* In the

movie, ''

Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy ''Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy'' (English: I'm Shivajiraje Bhosale Speaking) is a 2009 Indian Marathi-language film produced by Sanjay Chhabria along with Ashwami Manjrekar and directed by Santosh Ramdas Manjrekar. The film follows an underdog ...

'' (2009), the powada, ''Afzal Khanacha Vadh'' is played. *

Tanhaji ''Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'' is a 2020 Indian historical action film, co-written and directed by Om Raut and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Ajay Devgn under T-Series Films and Ajay Devgn FFilms. Tracing the life of Maratha w ...

, a 2020 Hindi movie, was made based on the

powada.

References

*H. A. Acworth and S. T. Shaligramgot the powada of afazaj vadha written by aagindas in kolhapur shivshahir purshottam raut

External links

A website on powada

Povada/पोवाडा at TransLiteral.org
{{Indian Music Marathi-language literature Indian styles of music