: They Taunted Him For His Naach. 84 Years Later, India Awarded Him the Padma Shri #IndiaNEWS Ramchandra Manjhi may have won the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award and Sangeet Natak

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They Taunted Him For His Naach. 84 Years Later, India Awarded Him the Padma Shri #IndiaNEWS
Ramchandra Manjhi may have won the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award and Sangeet Natak Akademi, but his biggest achievement is something else.  
A resident of Bihar’s Chapra district, he has been performing ‘Naach’, a musical theatre performance for the last 84 years. His ability to perform on stage with the same zeal and passion despite his weak eyesight and age-related ailments, occupies the number one spot in his list of accomplishments.  
Just a month ago, the 97-year-old had donned a ghagra choli, did his own make-up and delivered an arresting performance in West Champaran on World Yoga Day. While performing he may have lost his balance and not achieved the near-perfect thumka but his eyes, voice and body language as a sautan (mistress) in Bidesiya, a popular play written by late Bhikari Thakur, received a standing ovation.  
By the end of the day, he was a completely different person — a knowledgeable grandfather leading conversations on current political and social affairs with his neighbours in the village. The transition from a grandfather to a woman yearning for love while dealing with societal pressures comes as a shock to many and that for him is his biggest award.  
Ramchandra Manjhi receiving Lifetime Achievement award 
Ramchandra joined the performing arts when he was barely 10. At the time, Naach had just started to flourish in the hinterlands of Bihar and money was good so his parents didn’t mind if their son was a cross-dresser. In fact, the by-products of theatrical performance—money and fame—made it honourable.  
Unfortunately, this wasn’t how the world was going to perceive Naach. The visible caste barriers sprung up and dethroned the artform from its reputed position. However, Ramchandra kept at it for this was not just his livelihood but also a medium of change.  
This is probably the reason why, even at this age, Ramchandra gets ecstatic every time he has to essay a woman.  
“I have done Naach all my life. It is my identity. Performance is part of any artist’s routine just like brushing teeth. Naach has been there for me at every stage of my life, and my reasons to do it have evolved with each passing decade — starting from money, pleasure, joy, spreading awareness to now preserving this dying art form,� Ramchandra tells The Better India.  
He is presently associated with the Bhikhari Thakur Repertory Training & Research Centre, a troupe run by Dr Jainendra Dost, a JNU scholar in Performing Arts.
“Ramchandra is one of the four living legends who can pass on his craft to the younger generations. He is not only performing for us but also spreading his wisdom and skills to others to keep Naach alive,� Dost says.

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