Kavigan

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Bengali folk form

title: "Kavigan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["culture-of-bengal", "performing-arts-in-west-bengal", "culture-of-bangladesh", "bengali-poetry", "music-of-bengal", "indian-styles-of-music"] description: "Bengali folk form" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavigan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bengali folk form ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox music genre"]

Field	Value
name	Kobi Gaan
native_name	কবি গান
caption	Kobi Gaan parforming in Movie Jaatishwar, Prosenjit Chatterjee(middle) as a Kobiaal.
stylistic_origins	Bengali folk song
cultural_origins	British India
::

Kavigan (), Kobi Gaan, Kobi Lorai or Kabigan is a form of Bengali folk performance wherein folk poets sing and perform. A verbal duel among the poets, this mystic minstrels art was popular with rural folk form in nineteenth century in Bengal region, which includes the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh.. The mythological themes from both Hindu and Muslims religious texts were commonly used for Kobi Gaan.

Form

Kavigan is normally sung by two groups. Each group is led by a bn or bn. The accompanying singers called bn often repeat what the leader said. A kavigan programme starts with bandana (evocation) or gurudever geet (song of the sect patron). The bandana can be directed to or be in praise of Saraswati, Ganesh, people, and the audience, as deemed fit by a particular bn. This is followed by Radha–Krishna related song, some call it agamani. Then songs on four subjects are sung: bn, bn, bn and bn. bn deals with the love-songs related to Radha-Krishna. Biraha is about the mortal pang of separation of common human beings. Kheur is mainly about gods and goddesses, but often includes mild slangs. Finally, the competitive part starts. It mainly consists of the Lahar, where the competitors personally attack each other, musico-verbally.

History

In his Banglar Kavigan, Sajani Kanta Das said, "Kavigan was born out of a synthesis of various art forms prevalent in different parts of Bengal at different times having peculiar names such as tarja, panchali, kheur, akhrai, half akhrai, full akhrai, danra kavigan, basa kavigan, dhap kirtan, tappa, Krishna jatra, tukkagiti etc." Various literary researchers such as Ishwar Chandra Gupta and Dr. Harekrishna Mukhopadhyay have dwelt at length on the origins and development of kavigan.

Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey opines, "The existence of kabi songs may be traced to the beginning of the 18th century or even beyond it to the 17th; but the flourishing period of the Kabiwalas was between 1760 and 1830." However, while Kavigan lost its supremacy in Kolkata, it retained its position in rural Bengal. ::quote

Dr. Sushil Kumar Dey has a word of praise for the bn, "These poets were, no doubt, born among the people (lowest classes), lived with the people and understood perfectly their ways of thinking and feeling; hence their direct hold upon the masses of whom many a modern writer is contentedly ignorant."

Kobigaan was a debating contest between two minstrels (Kobiaal | the poets of the Kobigaan genre) and their troupes (Dohars) in Verse with some traditional musical instruments of Bengal. The mythological themes as well as the erotic themes were used. When mythological themes was used in Kobigaan, that was called Torja, this Torja was an old and traditional Kobi Gaan. The Kheyur was the second type Kobi Gaan in which erotic themes like Radha and Krishna were used as metaphorically. The originated of the Kheyur was Krishnanagar under the patronage of Raja Krishna Chandra of Nadia District. The Dhaak, Harmonium, Kansi, Mandira and drum were the main musical instrument used in Kobi Gaan. The Kobi Gaan is still performed in villages of Bengal with a small scale.

Kaviyals

A number of bn attained popularity and fame. In Birbhum district alone there were about three hundred bn from the 18th–20th century. Amongst the earliest were Lokokabi Lambodar Chakroborty, Gonjla Guin, born in the 18th century and his contemporaries: Lalu–Nandalal, Raghu and Ramji. The famous 19th century bn of Kolkata were Haru Thakur, Nitai Vairagi, Ram Basu, Bhola Maira, and Anthony Firinghee.

Some of bn in other parts of Bengal were Balahari Roy (1743–1849), Sambhunath Mondal (1773–1833), Tarakchandra Sarker (1845–1914), Haricharan Acharya (1861–1941), Ramesh Chandra Shil (1877–1967), Rajendranath Sarkar (1892–1974), Bijaykrishna Adhikari (1903–1985), Nishikanto Raysarkar.

Mukunda Das, more popular as a bn, was also a bn.

Another famous bn, Anthony Firingee, a Portuguese man, was featured in a Bengali biographical film bearing his name, with Uttam Kumar portraying him.

Bhola Moira (19th century) bn was a popular and entertaining singer who could keep his audience mesmerised. Realising the importance of popular entertainment, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar complimented Bhola Moira and said, "To awaken the society of Bengal, it is necessary to have orators like Ramgopal Ghosh, amusing men like Hutom Pyancha and folk singers like Bhola Moira".

References

Das,Kishoriranjan, ''Radha Birbhumer Kaviwala O Kavigan'', ''Paschim Banga'', Birbhum Special Issue, pp. 289–309, (in Bengali), February 2006, Information and Culture Dept., Government of West Bengal
"Kobi Gaan".
Sarker, Swarochish. (2012). "Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh". [[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]].
"Bengali music can be broadly classified under five heads". infobengal.
Ahmed, Wakil. (2012). "Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh". [[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]].
Kuśa Satyendra. (2000). "Dictionary of Hindu literature". Sarup & Sons.
(October 2015). "Anthony Firinghi (1981)".
"Bhola Moira (1977)".

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