Behind the Mask

Deeply embedded in the Bhakti movement, the origin of the Ankiya Naat form of theatre is ascribed to great Srimanta Sankaradeva.
Julie Barooah

IN Assam, masks play a predominant role in various traditions, tribal, non-tribal and some distinct local socio-cultural processes. It is a medium of creative expression used in different performances held during festivals, rituals and predominantly in the Vaishnavite narrative theatre called the Bhaonas or Ankiya Naats. Deeply embedded in the Bhakti movement, the origin of the Ankiya Naat form of theatre is ascribed to the great Vaishnava saint and preacher, Srimanta Sankaradeva. Sankaradeva conceived these plays and used them as a medium of propagation of his religious faith. Through these plays, the common man was acquainted about the episodes from the epics and the Puranas, besides being a medium of entertainment. These plays were an amalgamation of dialogue, musical narrative, dance, and art form like mask making. Bamboo Masks The masks or Mukha, form an important component of the Bhaona performance which helps in making the play attractive and putting the message across. It is believed that Sankardeva himself prepared masks to portray characters like Garuda for his first play- Cinna Yatra. Realising the immense potentiality of the masks to portray a character, he invariably and widely used it in all his plays. And the tradition continued hereafter. The masks used in the Bhaonas of Assam are prepared out of the raw materials available locally which includes bamboo, cane, wood, potters clay and cow dung, and gauze muslin.

Thin strips are prepared out of jati bamboos and they are woven into a hexagonal   pattern   to  prepare  the endoskeleton of the masks. A paste is then prepared by rigorously beating a mixture of cow-dung, potters clay and lime, straining it from time to time till the paste become soft and almost of gruel like consistency.

Thin strips of gauze muslin cloth are then dipped into this paste and applied over the endoskeleton of the masks layer by layer. It is then dried under the sun. Several layers of these cloth strips are applied after the one below is dried. Perfect drying is essential before the mask is ready for its finishing touches. Embellishments like hair, beads etc. are added as required. After the masks have completely dried, they are painted with different colours to give it a bright look and give the characteristic features of each. Earlier, colours were prepared out of minerals and natural products like Hengul, Haidal, Nil, Charcoal of Jati lao, etc.

But nowadays due to lack of time and non-availability of the minerals, mask makers of Assam have resorted to commercial paints available in the market. It takes about ten to fifteen days to complete one mask. There are several types of bamboo masks of Assam based on their sizes like the Mukh Mukha (those that covers only the face), Mur Mukha (those that covers the whole head up to the neck and sometimes up to the shoulder), Bar Mukha or Cho Mukha (those that covers the whole head up to the waist). There is another category of masks called the Lutukori Mukha where you can move certain portion of the mask like the limbs or the mouth. And few others even have some mechanical devices like pulley fitted to them to enable movement of some of their parts. Earlier there were special craftsmen in Assam known as Khanikar who were given special charge of mask making as well as manuscript illustration and wood carvings. It is also a hereditary vocation practiced by people belonging to no specific caste. Just in the case of the masked performances, the tradition of mask making is dominated by the men folk. But presently, there is not any exclusive class of Khanikars practicing this art form. Wooden Masks Apart from the bamboo masks presently used in the Bhaonas, Assam also has a strong tradition of wooden masks and masked performances in various non-tribal and tribal traditions.

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