Launda Naach: A Culture and Trade Dark Enough

Activist Reshma Prasad immediately retorts on hearing the term, 'Launda naach'. "There never existed a culture which could be called with a name like that. There are a lot of layers attached to what you are calling 'culture', " laments Prasad, as we discussed at length, what is considered to be a folk art from Bihar.

Try searching for the folk theatres, artforms of India, 'Launda naach' appears as a folk theatre that originated in the Bhojpur region of Bihar; what it does not discuss is how, behind the culture lie years and centuries of struggle, resentment and oppression - perhaps, the reason that infuriates Prasad, a trasngeder activist, who has been vocal about the traqnsgender rights in Patna and around, and who likes to be only called, a social activist. 

While she conducts nukkad nataks and has also organised at least 5,000 street plays aimed at awareness around gender and sexuality issues, she has this urge for people not to believe, and promote the naach as culture. "These were people not able to express and embrace or even explore their gender and sexual identities, which led to this naach. If you know, the term 'Launda' itself originates from an abusive term, how can it ever be called 'art'," says Prasad as the discussion intrigues her.

Oppression leading to the 'culture'

Pop culture, however, has made it a commonly used term, referring to the existing practice that falls under folk theatre. It is not uncommon to see performances taking place in the corners and alleys of villages in Bihar, across the state's geographies, where males dress as females and dance in front of the crowd, usually the working class and farmers from lower social and economic strata. This tradition is called launda naach or netua naach.

In Delhi's contemporary theatre scene, 'Netua', a play produced by N.K. Sharma, with Manoj Bajpayee playing the lead role, portraying a rural Bihari man who cross-dresses for money—also a performance that required extensive Kathak dance training— based on the story of Ratan Verma, is a huge success and still a talking point as Bajpayee's most successful theatre performance. 

A fusion of classical and folk dance styles, the performance can also be marked by intricate footwork, rapid pirouettes and dramatic gestures where the emphasis is on storytelling through movement. The performers also portray various characters, aiming to depict everyday life scenarios. 

But away from the literary representations, the ground reality of the artists and the art form has remained different for many decades. Before it started seeing a decline, this medium has also been instrumental for politicians in addressing the people. Former CM and RJD's supremo using such occasions for his addresses has been very common in the state that is popular for its interest in politics. 

Under the veneer of this culture, however, lies its history, which is far from any literary appreciations. Reportedly, young male performers, who are known as launda dancers, have faced vulnerabilities before taking up the art form, according to Prasad. "Initially, those were the 'men' who were not sure about their sexual identities, and it became a way of their exploration," she says. 

Secondary data also presents other arguments. The culture is believed to have been formed in the 11th century. As per a research paper titled 'A Critical Study on Launda Dancer Community in Bihar', published on SSRN, women were not allowed to dance in public and could only perform in temples or for feudal lords, and, to entertain the general public, men would dress as women and perform, which kick-started the tradition. 

Moreover, it also finds traces in the Mughal era, the dance of female performers became popular among moneylenders and landlords, with the name 'Baiji Naach'. While this still received recognition in the upper class, 'Launda naach' became popular among the lower caste and also class. 

Much later, it became structured with the work of what people remember as, "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri". Bhikhari Thakur, a playwright, made the art form an instrument for highlighting social issues like dowry, caste discrimination, and alcoholism through his plays. Around 1917, he worked on a play with the main focus of the story of a family of migrants from Kolkata whose success shaped the genre as 'Bidesiya', also called the theatre of the migrant labourer.

Later on, his last disciple, Ramchandra Manjhi, was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy in 2017 and the Padma Shri in 2021. In contemporary times, the Bhojpuri Actor, Khesari Lal Yadav, mixes the form with modern music and dance styles.

"Initially, there would be many folk songs on which the artists would perform," says Rakesh Kumar, a former Launda naach artist who was recently seen in the Hindi film, 'Dhadak 2', "or there were instances of stories of Raja Harishchandra that would be performed as a subject of the play in the weddings after the baraat arrives. It would start in and around 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and would go for the entire night."

"But then, Bhojpuri songs turned into 'vulgarity' and people started demanding those which artists had to comply with." "Things derailed and the art got lost," he adds.

The dark trade

Historically, it was these efforts that the tradition also took the form of a socially-conscious art, but only if it could remain that. Launda naach is mostly performed by people belonging to poor backgrounds, especially coming from West Bengal and involves a big nexus of trade which, if it protects livelihood, also is a form of exploitation. 

Talking from the Delhi National School of Drama, where Kumar, also a theatre artist, had gone to take workshops with students, recounts his childhood at a village in Siwan, the memories of artists coming during the wedding seasons to his village still fresh. "When the naach party would come to my village, I would go and see. Later, not only did I start taking part in cultural activities during school days, but I also got connected with the naach parties and started performing," he says, also fondly remembering the "jogira dances" during Holi, a popular dance event hosted in the state during the festival. 

As per a UNICEF report, 70 per cent of dancers enter the profession as children. Previously, the poor families who could not afford to hire female dancers would hire the launda dancers.

Currently, young boys from poor families belonging to West Bengal migrate to Bihar and UP, especially post Chatth during the winter wedding season, the research report highlights. The wedding contractors hire them for the specific season and for several months.

The process looks simple. The band master hires transgender persons from various parts of West Bengal during October, after the puja, when the young people with long hair, fewer signs of beard and moustaches are in good demand, they are also paid more by the band master.

The deals take a formal form as the agreements are signed between the band masters and boys on court-stamped paper for a specific time. 

While the monetary exchanges are done, there have been multiple reports of the boys being forced into sexual exploitation. "The band members or even the guests — from Dalits to the upper castes — sexually exploit them," Prasad says. Other than that, a range of reports of them being beaten, burned with cigarettes, and even gang-rape have come to light from these occasions. "They are kidnapped, forced, abused and beaten," says Kumar. 

While he says that there are also good people, another set of challenges arrives, not from the bandmasters but also from the general public. "Facing an audience is a very big challenge, as it also, sometimes, includes those who harass us. People barging into our tents meant as a make-up room, try to offer money in absurd ways. Koi bhaale mein note phansa kar laata hai (there are instances of people offering notes might fixed with a sword)," Kumar laments, adding, "We get both appreciation and abuses."

As per a study conducted by People Like Us, a Kolkata-based NGO, almost half the boys interviewed had mentioned the sexual encounters between the age group of 9 to 12 years. Additionally, there have also been reports of them contracting HIV.

"Even now, the lagan days pay off well to these artists that they can run their houses. But they don't have work during off off-season. Either they start farming or become labourers," actor Kumar says, adding, "No official bodies ever care about the finances involved with the art."

Things abroad

The same 'launda naach', however, has also taken the form of drag performances and the artists, called drag artists in the pop culture, are mostly accepted in the T1 cities of India and abroad, where the pay still seems better. "Drag artists do not get paid their worth unless in the mainstream or have strong advocacy and structure within the work," says a Drag artist, Mohamed A. Amin, also popular as 'Sundari, The Indian Goddess', from New York, presenting the system. 

Talking about the roots of Launda Naach there, she says, "During indentureship from India to the Caribbean by the British, this dance art form was brought to Guyana, South America and other parts of the Caribbean." "I became aware of the dance form back in 2012," the Indo-Caribbean Guyanese Drag Centric-Activist and entertainer says. 

Local Samosa had reported before that the better living conditions in American countries were lucrative enough for Indian drag artists or people from the transgender community to migrate for livelihood through drag and acceptance. However, as the activist says, the challenges remain. "Homophobia, lack of understanding and respect for the art form, culture, and traditions are some of the challenges that limit Launda Ke Naach's visibility in cultural and traditional programming within our communities," she says. 

Back home, despite dark realities, however, as the art form is declining, the transgender community have reported their dwindling income. Since the economic opportunities have not been better as much as the education levels have still led to the decline, transgender persons have reportedly mentioned going for sex work and begging.

Referring to the artists, Rakesh Kumar says, "They don't get the respect they deserve. Nowadays, neither is there respect for art, nor for artists."