Kechak Dance

By Chaitali Deepesh Sinha

A dance that represents Bali’s culture and tradition,

It tells the story of The Ramayana- a great epic,

A story of love, good over evil, brothers’ bond and separation,

From costume to set, everything is made aesthetic.

The performers dance and plays the famous characters,

Ironically, the dance is performed without musical instruments,

The syncing recitation of ‘Chak Chak’ by them amuses the spectators,

Whole dance consists of The Ramayana’s five incidents.

It starts with Goddess Sita’s request and Lord Rama’s deer chase,

Followed by arrival of Ravana and Sita’s abduction,

Third act is of Lord Hanuman reaching Sita’s living place,

Next comes, capturing of both brothers by Meghnada and their vindication.

Story of Ramayana comes to end by Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana’s return,

Which leads to a dance of two girls in form of angels removing evil sights,

And a boy on horse who dance on fire bone without getting his legs burn,

Its concept is to pray that God removes the sorrows and make us reach the heights.

“Preet” was amused and enlightened seeing the performance,

The costumes, makeup and set up increased its charm,

The people reciting ‘Chak Chak’ had their own importance,

And the boy’s spirituality to dance on fie without any harm.

By Chaitali Deepesh Sinha