On the road with roaming Tamasha performers in rural India

Abhishek Khedekar’s multi-media images offer a colourful and complex portrayal of life with a nomadic Marathi theatre group, whose traditions date back to the 1800s.

One evening in 2016, while photographer Abhishek Khedekar was living in Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra, he travelled to Narayangaon – a small town set just over 40 miles (70km) from the city. He’d caught a rumour that a travelling troupe of Tamasha performers were in the area and wanted to see the show for himself. Having grown up as a child in rural Maharashtra with fond memories of participating in folk dance, a friend of his suggested he check out a Tamasha show – a traditional form of musical theatre, often consisting of more than 100 performers, that travels from village to village around the state.

After a fortunate encounter with a man who supplied trucks to the roaming performers pointed him to the site and gave him the contact details for Papu Dada – one of the group’s organisers – he shoved some spare clothes into a bag, grabbed his camera and went to the site of the evening’s show. There, he was greeted by a flurry of lights, music and bright colour, and quickly felt a sense of wonder. 

“I was amazed, like ‘wow, this is a different world here’,” recalls Khedekar. “As a kid I was performing on stage, but it wasn’t that elaborate – everybody was in makeup, the costumes were elaborate, the lighting was vibrant mixed with traditional music and singing.”

Top to bottom: Photos ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints

Asking for Papu Dada, Khedekar was invited backstage, where dozens of performers and crew members were frantically preparing for the next acts, while those who had just come off stage were catching a quick chance to rest and grab a bite to eat. 

“Performers were coming and going, having their dinner, going back and dressing, there’s a lot of different sounds and lights. I didn’t take any pictures, I was just looking at them like ‘what is happening here?’” he says. “Then Papu Dada was kind enough to ask me, ‘have you had dinner?’ and I said ‘no’.

“He’s like ‘okay, you can have dinner here, the food we cook is a little spicy but you can manage it,” Khedekar continues. “From that day, I started travelling with them from one village to the next, and I started photographing everything.”

Khedekar would proceed to spend months on the road with the performers on numerous stretches until 2022, making pictures as well as mucking in with the production of the shows, and even getting on stage and performing. Now, some of his pictures are presented in his newly-published photobook Tamasha. With a mix of portraiture, candid shots of objects and creative collages, the pictures are a warm, vibrant and intimate window into the costumes, performances and characters of the nomadic show, as well as the wild operation that moving 100-plus performers, artists and crew on a daily basis takes.

Top to bottom: Photos ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints

“They’re doing it for like seven or eight months a year,” Khedekar explains. “There are around 70 people there who perform, but it’s not only like they perform – sometimes if the truck driver is not well they have to drive the truck, you all cook together and eat food together, you have to set up the tents everyday and even a small office space.”

The book is also a celebration of a joyous culture that has in recent decades come to be looked down upon and maligned by many. Originating in the 1800s, Tamasha troupes have traditionally been made up of Dalit folks, which is historically considered the lowest caste in Indian society – the word itself roughly translates to ‘oppressed’ or ‘broken.’ In the 20th century, as much of India moved away culturally from traditional forms of song and dance, they became stigmatised and shunned in many areas as they descended upon villages with their giant moving operation.

Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints
Photo ©Abhishek Khedekar 2023 courtesy Loose Joints

But that landscape is changing as more people come to value the skill, traditions and knowledge that Tamasha encapsulates, and troupes are increasingly made up from people across different classes and walks of life. 

For Khedekar though, that time spent with them means even more than just the performances and entertainment. “It’s my family,” he says, smiling. “I say family because everybody stays under the same tent, everyone cooks food and eats together, performs, then goes again to the next village. A lot of them have become my friends, so Tamasha has given me an extended family, and I’m [grateful] I can be part of that.”

Tamasha by Abhishek Khedekar is published by Loose Joints.

Follow Isaac on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Twitter and Instagram.

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.