The Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva is organising a 45 day free residential workshop at Dhing, Nagaon from December 14 on Aharjyabhinaya of Ankiya Bhaona. In this workshop, costume making, ornament making, mask making, make-up etc will be taught practically and elaborately by leading experts of Assam. The objective is that the trainees should set up own workshops for producing these items and thus become self-employed after the training. So only unemployed youths will be trained. The workshop is sponsored by Sattriya Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is for the first time that such a comprehensive workshop on Aharjya of Ankiya Bhaona is being organised in Assam.
Preparation of Aharjya for Ankiya Bhaona is a dying craft. But it is an indispensable part of Sankari culture. Aharya is the one of the important part among four major part of Ankiya Bhaona. Srimanta Sankaradeva designed the Aharjyas of Ankiya Bhaona by blending local folk elements, motifs with the classical traits of Natyasastra. But as Ankiya Bhaona tradition is one of the oldest living tradition and it had been filtered through generations for more than five hundred years, a lot of migrated folk and contemporary elements merged into this art-form resulting in a polluted form. This phenomenon threatened the Aharyabhinaya art-form upto such level that the Assamese people began to lose the original Aharjya of Ankiya Bhaona. So, it is a bounden duty for us to revive, practise and preserve the almost lost art-form in the basis of its vibrant tradition.
While the Sattras used to preserve this skill earlier, now there is dearth of skill. So Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva decided to train new generation in this craft, which happens to be an integral part of Ankiya Bhaona. The training will include Costumes, Make-up, Headgear, Ornaments, Masks, Properties, and Fireworks in the workshop. Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva has sufficient expertise in this area. There will also be exhibition of the products of the workshop after the workshop is over. Jadab Mahanta, Deka Sattriya of Bogi-aai Alengi Sattra will be the Director of the workshop and eminent Sankari artist Mridu Maucham Bora will be the assistant Director of the workshop. Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva has invited experts from different parts of Assam as resource persons of the workshop.
Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva extend invitation to all to attend the workshop. Interested candidates who want to undergo training may contact Mridu Moucham Bora for enrolment. His contact nos are 9864906301 and 9401383517.
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