Pithoragarh. This is the journey of Kailash Kumar, a banker by qualification who today is a full-time theatre artist. It all started when, at an early age, Kailash was awe-struck by Hilljatra, a traditional mask-dance performed in his hometown.
Born in Pithoragarh but raised in New Delhi, Kumar worked as a banker for a few months, before he gave it all up at the age of 23 and took up theatre, his first love.
A diploma holder in theatre from Jaipur Natyakulam, Kailash received a two year scholarship in Theatre Art which further honed his theatrical skill. On his annual visit back home, Kailash painstakingly put together motley of like-minded artists and performed the first, but not the last Hilljatra in 2011-2012, and since then, he and his troupe has been on a roll.
Talking to Newspost, in between rehearsal breaks, Kailash tells us how he realized that, “if I had to take this dance forward, then I had to return to my roots.’ In 2015, the young lad took the long way home with bag and baggage to Pithoragarh to start what he set out to do and ‘haven’t regretted my decision one bit!’
Presently, Kailash is nurturing and reviving his rich cultural heritage by taking this dance-form out off the hills and spreading it far and wide. His troupe Bhaav Raag Taal Natya Academy which consists of over 25 people from 15 year old to 83 year old enthusiasts have performed not only Hilljatra but dances based on folklores along with Sanskrit plays too.
Telling us more about the dance form, he adds, “Hilljatra recreates scenes from when a farmer with oxen at his heals, works in his fields sowing crop as soon as monsoon rains come calling. The characters performing the jatra transform themselves into oxens, herders, sheperds, farmers wearing wooden masks and costumes singing songs to please the weather gods.”
A recipient of ‘Loknatya Ratna Samaan’ 2016, the coveted 2018 “Uttarakhand Gaurav Samaan” Award along with the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage or ICH Fellowship’ for his hard-work and dedication for reviving a forgotten dance form. Yet, the biggest reward, Kailash feels is, “when I see the next generation turning out in large numbers to be part of the troupe, I know for sure that our rich culture and heritage is in safe hands, a heart-warming feeling.‘
Senior Journalist Raju Gusain, and an encyclopaedia on the Fab Four’s 1968 visit to this very ashram, talks with pride, “the shift in focus is already showing positive result. In the past 5 months alone, since the ashram was given a face-lift by the forest as well as tourism department, close to 2,200 foreigners have visited the ashram to-date compared to 1000 odd foreigners who visited in 2017. Revenue too has double–folded from 24 lakhs in five months compared to 18 lakhs in one year.” It’s the call of the place, that has made it popular amongst tourist of all ages, places and walks of life.
At present, Mukesh has lent colour to canvasses which include shoes, T-Shirts and of course, paper too. His forte, as he puts it has always been charcoal portraits and sketches on A3 paper. Talking to team Newspost, the young artist tells us, “I started by painting shoes for my friends which became an instant hit and I have been doing shoes and t-shirts for my friends ever since.”
