Jharkhand chhau exponent and his 10-member troupe will perform the folk dance Manbhum chhau during the closing ceremony of IPL 2022 on May 29 at Motera in Ahmedabad.

The 50-year-old Prabhat Kumar Mahato from Ichagarh block in Chandil sub-division of Seraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand has been called by the event management firm arranged by the BCCI for the closing ceremony.

“They have arranged for us to and fro railway tickets and would be bearing our accommodation and all expense during our stay in Ahmedabad and pay honorarium to each of the 10-member troupe.

“We will be leaving from Tatanagar Station (in Jamshedpur) on Tuesday late night for Ahmedabad,” said Prabhat Kumar Mahato, founder secretary of Natraj Kala Kendra at Choga in Seraikela-Kharsawan and member of Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage.

He said that as per the talks held with the event management firm of the IPL closing ceremony, they would have to take part in rehearsal on May 27-28.

“We have been informed that the total duration of the closing ceremony would be nearly 40 minutes. The time allotment would be decided during the rehearsal to be held on May 27-28. We are likely to get a time slot of nearly 10 minutes,” said Prabhat Kumar Mahato.

Incidentally, the final match of IPL 2022 would commence from 8pm while the closing ceremony would be held between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

The closing ceremony will see several big names from Bollywood, including Ranveer Singh and A.R. Rahman.

“Seraikela and Manbhum Chhau are differentiated on the basis of masks. The Seraikella Chhau is performed with symbolic masks, and the acting establishes the role the actor is playing.

“The Purulia Chhau uses extensive masks shaped in the form of the character being played; for example, a lion character has a face mask of lion and body costumes too with the actor walking on all fours,” said Mahato.

“The use of masks entails parity of body language and breathing. A performer has to put prolonged practice for breathing without deviating from the calculated moves. Chhau dances follows the basic principles of Hindu dance which have evolved a technique of their own, inspired by its own concepts and ideas.

“The Hindu dance elements are ascribed as representations of cosmic rhythm. Chhau is also greatly influenced by the martial arts and has a strong ritualistic context,” added Prabhat Kumar Mahto.

These masks are crafted by potters who make clay images of Hindu gods and goddesses and are primarily sourced from Bengal’s Purulia district.