GT Digital
Goa's oldest folk art, Ranmale, which had taken a break for a while, was recently performed in Kopardem village of Sattari.
The artists from the village came together to revive this tradition of Ranmale, which had been discontinued for a while.
The reason for this was that the villagers and artists wanted to revive this art form which was an integral part of their culture.
Ranmale is a ritualistic folk drama based on stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is performed during The Shigmo festival in parts of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Ran means 'war' and male means 'fire torch', and this art form comprises dance, drama and folk songs called jata.
According to local folklore, long ago invaders killed the local settlers who were engrossed in watching a performance. Since then, the Ranmale has been performed as an act of atonement for that dreadful act.
Apart from the main story, each artist is disguised as a funny character and makes his entry during the drama.