THE WORLD'S A STAGE

CHARACTERS, SYMBOLS, AND CONCEPTS ASSOCIATED WITH HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY, FANTASY, AND CULTURE ARE REPRESENTED BY RITUALISTIC DRESSES AND MASKS

- PIYALI SEN

COSTUMES HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE to play in traditional festivities throughout India. Layered with symbolic essence, they give communities a cultural identity and sense of belonging. "Masks and costumes have been a part of ritualistic traditions in India for many centuries," says Siddhartha Tagore, the great-grandnephew of Rabindranath Tagore, veteran art connoisseur and founder of the Art Konsult gallery in New Delhi.

The costumes and performances are part of rituals that have evolved in different social and historical contexts, and they take various shapes that reflect regional characteristics.

"Take Majuli, for instance," says Tagore. "People there have been making masks and costumes to celebrate festivals," he explains. The island is known to be the seat of the neo-Vaishnavite culture of Assam and houses satras, or monasteries, which predate the island's birth. Raas Utsav is a celebration of 500 years of cultural and artistic contributions by the various satras in Majuli, involving song, dance, and dialogue in a performing art form depicting the life story of Lord Krishna. The centre-pieces are incredible masks made of natural materials.

CELEBRATING SEASONS