Raybeshe by Aditya Mukhopadhyay [Hardcover]

Raibenshe folk dance artists are mainly residents of Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Burdwan districts. It can be said that they are the successors of the robbers of Bengal. In more ancient times, the king-zamindars had armies and bodyguards called "Raibenshes." The infantry soldiers of Raibenshe Bahini carried 'Rai' or improved bamboo sticks. When the zamindars were abolished, they also became unemployed. At that time, they were known as dakat-thangare-thug. In the age of cheap firearms, the importance of the stick has disappeared, and the new generation of artists in Raibenshe are running to other professions for the sake of survival. 'War dance' as their field of physical exercise has been erased from rural culture in Raibensh. But some are still tirelessly trying to keep up the trend. Aditya Mukhopadhyay's 'Raibenshe: Life and Art' is an important field-based book on the joys, sorrows, frustrations and pains of the artists of Raibenshe.