Bidesia theatre: A continuation of Bhojpuri dramatic tradition

Abstract

Bidesia, a renowned folk theatrical form, is hugely popular in the Bhojpuri speaking areas of  western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Bidesia tradition was in existence prior to Bhikhari Thakur occupying the Bhojpuri theatrical stage. He is accredited with transforming Bidesia into an acclaimed folk theatre tradition. Nonetheless it was not a novel experiment as the Bhojpuri society had theatrical forms which though not theatrically complete had elements of theatricality in them. Bhikhari Thakur uses all the theatrical elements at his disposal, borrowing and amalgamating them within the extant Bidesia tradition. This paper traces the origin of Bidesia folk theatre by placing it in the larger Bhojpuri theatrical tradition.