Teejan Bai

The video is a Pandavani performance by the folk artist Teejan Bai. Pandavani is a narrative art form of the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh and its neighbouring states. Pandavani is a popular form of entertainment and includes songs, improvisations and narration of stories from the Mahabharata. The performer enacts and sings with an ektara or tambura and sometimes a kartal. Teejan Bai (1956- ) was born in the remote village of Ganiyari in Chhatisgarh to the Pardhi tribe. She was trained in the art of Pandavani by her maternal grandfather. Her debut performance was at the neighbouring village of Chandrakhuri at the age of thirteen. She sang in the Kapalik style which was considered to be a male bastion. Her performance stood out as she performed standing up in her characteristic gravelly voice. Since her debut she has travelled widely and received many honours like the Padma Bhushan in 2003.