Cadence and Counterpoint- Documenting Santhal Musical traditions, a special exhibition at the National Museum, New Delhi

Cadence and Counterpoint- Documenting Santhal Musical traditions 

It is the responsibility of nations to preserve, protect and showcase the art, culture and heritage of  the different arts that  make up a whole and in that context, it was a real pleasure to see it happening in real time in New Delhi at the National Museum during my visit a couple of days back. 'Cadence and Counterpoint' a special exhibition showcasing and documenting the Santhal Musical Traditions and running from the 15th  April to the 17th of May has successfully brought forward the music and art in a very beautiful, informative and structured manner and as a student of history first and an advertising and communications professional thereafter, I had a rewarding experience and was pleased with the wealth of knowledge  I came away with. 

The National Museum, New Delhi

Spread over three floors, the National Museum is a veritable treasure trove of items over the centuries and a special mention must be made of how beautifully these have been placed and displayed. I propose to write a series on the National Museum and will be covering different aspects over the course of the next few posts. 

But in the meantime-

Here is an interesting story about how the National Museum of India came into existence.The blueprint for establishing the National Museum in Delhi was prepared by the Maurice Gwyer Committee in May 1946 and an Exhibition of Indian Art, consisting of selected artefacts from various museums of India was organized by the Royal Academy, London.This Exhibition went on display in the galleries of Burlington House, London in 1947-48. Since the exhibition was a great success, it was decided to display the same collection in Delhi ASAP.

Accordingly, an exhibition was organized in the Rashtrapati Bhawan  New Delhi in 1949 and this event proved responsible for the creation of the National Museum. On August 15, 1949, the National Museum, New Delhi, was inaugurated in the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The foundation of the present building was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the first phase of the National Museum building was formally inaugurated in December 1960 while the second phase of the building was completed in 1989.

Summarizing the exhibition- At the very beginning

A range of the 'Banam'- Santhal musical instruments

The exhibition presents three types of objects related to the Santhal musical tradition. The first are the musical instruments, amongst which is the most important 'Banam'. A bowed mono chord and the only Santhal instrument to be categorized as a chordo phone, the 'Banam' is carved out of a single piece of soft wood.

Looking through and loving it- the musical instruments

Also displayed are the drums, the 'Tamak',   the 'Madal' and a range of flutes 

The view from the other side-The Banas  

The exhibition also features the extremely lively but languishing art form of the Santal community, the 'Chadar Badar'. This is a unique form of puppetry done on a set with a long pole as base. Rows of beautifully carved wooden puppets dance in formation with the pull of a string and attached mechanism. This performance closely resembles the actual folk dance of the Santhals. In fact, I had the opportunity to first watch the video version in the special AV room at the beginning of the exhibition and then moved onto the n beautifully handmade  piece which I've photographed and  can be seen  just below.

The Chadar Badar- a unique form of puppetry  

A visual representation of how this particular piece was made by the original karigar

The third set of objects in the exhibition is the Jadupatua, or scroll painting, all very stylish and beautiful.

An important part of the exhibition  is the documentation of Santhal traditions over time. Photographs, some taken by well known musicologists such as Alain Daniélou and Deben Bhattacharya, document the Santhal community from 1950's onwards. Original audio records from 1914 and videos, from the late 1960's up to the present day are also part of the documentation and go a very long way in making the whole experience that much more real and interactive.

In a nutshell, the exhibition is an close look at  the world of the Santhal community, its rich culture and musical traditions. The Exhibition is on view at the Special Exhibition Hall 2, National Museum, from 15 April till 17 May 2015 so for those of you who can make it, I would recommend it - very highly.