Maharashtra has a long and
proud tradition of song, dance, music and theatre. I remember my early days in
Pune when I used to enjoy a large glass of sweet sugar cane juice listening to lullaby-like
singing by the rural folks. Even the hard task of manually extracting the juice
from sugar cane was lightened and made lively by a farmhand with his folk-songs!
As school-going kids in
the city of Pune, my younger brother and I often used to watch with wonder some
of the street singers and performers. A typical street song sounded more like a
Bhajan in the glory of Lord Krishna. It went something like ...
Govind Rama Ho, Gopala Rama Ji-Ji
Keshava Rama Ho, Madhava Rama Ji-Ji
The singer used to wear a
colorful conical cap decorated with peacock feathers. Holding a chiplya in the
hand and anklets tied to his legs to complement singing a folk song, the singer
was seen by kids as an amusing personality. Until recently, I never knew the
name of this particular tribe of street singers. A few days back, it was my
dear brother who told me that such singers are called '"Vasudev."
The bhajan-singing and entertaining
heritage of Vasudev must be many centuries old. I understand that Vasudevs are
still in existence though their population has dwindled rapidly over recent
years.
From the name of the tribe
and their songs, it is inferred that the Vasudevs worshipped Lord Krishna. Was
not Vasudev father of Lord Krishna?
The Vasudev is part of a
nomadic tribe of Maharashtra and keeps traveling from one place to another,
entertaining people with traditional songs and verses. Some of them work in
farms to make a living. Right in the morning, the vasudeo starts singing in the
streets persuading people to perform selfless charity and worship to Lord
Krishna. Like abhangs, the songs are composd in Marathi language.
Here is a sample song with
a rough translation:
Balichya vanshi janma ghetla, Kaalicha dhanda sodu nako
l
Aik paranya, tula sangato, Hari bhajlyavij rahu nako ll
(You have taken birth in a
religious home, do not leave your farm work
Listen, I tell you, Do not
stop worshiping Lord Krishna)
While propagating Bhakti,
Vasudeo does not forget to ask people for help to fulfil his family
responsibilities. The song goes further like:
Tumhi Aaya Baayanno dya Vasudevnila choli
Aho lahan mulichya dya angachi kaacholi.
(You ladies, please donate
a blouse for my wife and a garment for my young daughter)
People of Maharashtra never
made fun of the Vasudevs or looked upon them as beggars but used to treat them with
respect and generosity.
Bhakti knows no bounds and
Maharashtra is a forerunner in the matter of cultivating Bhajans and Bhakti both
in the simplest ways.
Vasudeo may be a very poor person
but he has contributed immensely to build a rich tradition of Bhakti and Bhajans that add glory to Maharashtra
and to the Hindu way of living!
