ABSTRACT
The term loknāṭya (Hindi लोकनाट्य, folk performing arts, folk theatre) is derived from Sanskrit loka (लोक, people, folk, mankind) and →nāṭya (नाट्य, performing arts, dramatic representation, theatre). Loknāṭya is used loosely for a range of rural and semi-rural forms of performance. Performed in open-air spaces by itinerant troupes at fairs and at the behest of local landlords, the plays in these forms—such as svāṅg (Hindi स्वांग) or nauṭaṅkī (Hindi नौटंकी) in the North Indian plains, bhavāi (Gujarati ભવાઇ) in Gujarat, yātrā (Bangla যাত্রা) in Bengal and yakṣagāna (Kannada ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ) in what is today Karnataka, to name just a few—consist of episodic narratives drawn from myth, legend and popular romance, set to music and often held together by the figure of the narrator.
