भारुड/Bharud

The video is a presentation on one of the important folk arts of Maharashtra, the Bharud. Bharud is a very old poetic form which was used by 16th century poets like Eknath to compose devotional songs. In his lifetime he wrote around 300 Bharuds on various themes. The Bharuds are narrative songs which carry double meaning. The deeper spiritual meaning is disguised in meanings at the surface level. The dramatic narration which is contained in these songs often depicts characters like the Joshi or fortune-teller, housewives and Gondhal performers and sadhus or ascetics. The day to day experiences of the people are also described in these songs from scorpion bites to marital discord. Bharud is either sung as a bhajan or devotional song or is enacted by the performer. The performer dresses in the garb of the Gondhali (devotee of Lord Khandoba) with peacock feathers in his cap.