08/02/2024
NEW WORK.
The second film we made for Virtual Bharat series.
CHHOLIYA, The Himalayan Bagpipers.
Somewhere in a sun-drenched thicket, a phone crackles. Narendra Prasad’s clients have asked for a “trial”. Prasad, who plays the masaq been or the Himalayan bagpipe, is a Chholiya dancer. When the warbling cry of his bagpipe echoes in the Kumaon hills, it is part romantic entreaty, part war cry, and part colonial relic. Today, its call can be heard from wedding processions and festivals. But it began, quite literally, as martial guile or “Chhal”, leading royal armies into battle. The British Raj found, in the aftermath of the Anglo-Gorkha war of 1815, that the men of the hills could turn a battle, as well as hold a tune. They introduced the Scottish bagpipe to the mix, turning the Himalayan folk tradition into an army band.
A century later, Chholiya brings the beats of war to declarations of love. Swords and shields clash, colourful costumes twirl, and heady percussion animates painted faces as the performers weave a lyrical romance that echoes beyond the Himalayan horizon.
“The sweet fig grows all through the year, my dear, but the bayberry ripens only in springtime. So rare and precious is my love for you. So rare and precious is my love for you.”
Virtual Bharat. A 1000-film journey, one story at a time.
Director: Yashasvi Juyal | Creative Director - Viraj Sikand | Director of Photography: Dipesh Manral
Editor: SanDeep Vyas, Yashasvi Juyal | Colorist: Sandeep Vyas
Vocals: Manish Kumai | Sound Recordist:Ramandeep Malhotra | Sound Designer: Ankit Thapa
Camera Crew: Yash khaire, Prakash Bamne | Post-Production: Sayan Debnath
Production Supervisor: Rajat Gautam | Local Line Production: Manish Kumai | Photographer: Saalim Shamsi
Executive Producer: Lynette Dmello
Name of the Interviewed Person in Film:
Dr. Lokesh Ohri. Anthropologist, Author
Click here to subscribe to VIRTUAL BHARAT: https://youtube.com/ in a sun-drenched thicket, a phone crackles. Narendra Prasad’s clients...
