‘Bhojpuri art form ‘bidesia’: a prelude’

Bidesia Art form is mostly developed on the basis of Bhikhari Thakur's creative endeavour vis-a-vis Bhojpuri language. It is said that in Bhikhari Thakur's (1887- 1971) work, there is a specific style of subtle protest against the oppressive and corrupt system. It raises some questions in the viewer's minds, leaving them at liberty to be ashamed, silenced, shocked or to rise in protest against the Social ills that are well projected in the plays and songs of Bhikhari Thakur. In this paper, i have tried to demonstrate that the Socio-political realities shown through Bidesia art gain popularity not merely because they reflect Social ills inflicted upon the marginalized sections of society ( especially women and Dalits) and are thus resistant towards the dominant norms but because his work resorts to the propagandist and entertainment spheres. They undertake a political motive but fall in the realm of cultural pleasure. Thakur, by making use of the Bidesia folk songs, folklore, proverbs and popular sayings of the Bhojpuri belt, successfully achieved this popularity. These became a good medium not only to create awareness but to also compose the cultural definition of this region. Along the same lines, i look at the case of Bhikhari Thakur and the literature produced by him to the formation of ' Bidesia Art Form'.