Bidesia – Folk Dance Drama From Bihar

Bidesia is a folk dance form of Bihar based on a drama named Bidesiya written by Bhikari Thakur. It originated in the Bhojpuri speaking areas of Bihar. There are many folk dances in Bihar, but Bidesia has managed to keep itself on top of that. It is based on the

Unlike other folk dances, Bidesia does not have its roots in ancient times. It is as new as it could be. It was originated in the 20th century when even the common folks did not know about drama or theatre. Bidesia could also be called a musical drama as it involves a lot of stories with music and dance.

Origin of Bidesia Folk Dance

Bhikari Thakur was a barber from the profession. For that time it must have been hard for a barber to earn enough money. Even after that, he chose to follow his dreams and did what he wanted to do.

He wrote a Bhojpuri play called Bidesiya. It is also called Bahara Bahar. He loved drama and he wanted to bring a change in society for better. He left his past life behind him to work in the theatre industry. 

Bidesia Performance

In some performances men and women both participate but in some only men participate. If only men are participating in a performance they does the role of both male and female characters. To represent women men used to wear long artificial hair and saree. 

The plays are based on social issues like poverty, condition of women in their households and roots of the emotions we fight with everyday. To come up with an idea of spreading this message in itself is amazing. These were some concerts of society that were never discussed on a large scale.

The Popularity of Bidesiya Play

No one talked about how women were treated in their household. No one talked about why laborers are so poor in Bihar. When men left their house to earn in cities their wives were left alone with their kids. Sometimes men had other women in their lives and their wives suffered because of that. Sometimes a women’s in-laws were not nice to her. They treated her like a slave. All this got a platform to be represented in front of the society with clear words with the help of Bidesia. Perhaps this is the reason why this form is so famous and loved by all. 

All these dramas were sarcastic and used satire. These satires generally made a great impact on people. They hit them exactly where they needed to be hit. This is why Bidesia has still its place in people’s heart.