The Tapori Legacy


My annual school concert kickstarted yesterday and the hi-light of the show, for me, was the tapori dance. It was absolutely entertaining and the crowd loved it. 

This morning I wondered about it and looked it up on Wiki. And this is what I found; 

Tapori literally translates into vagabond or rowdy in Hindi. Street thugs in Mumbai were perhaps the most notable taporis. Their unique style of speaking Hindi was called tapori language. They also had a unique style of dressing, which they called as tapori style. Tapori culture though resented by many is widely imitated by many as humorous or comical. It has found acceptance inBollywood films including "Rangeela", "Gol Mal", and "Chasme Buddoor".[1] They are the equivalent of gangstas in Hollywood films.

 The tapori dance is very fast and it has a Tollywood (South Indian) flair to it. 

 The taporis spice up the annual concert at my school and it looks as though they are going to stay for a long time. Two years ago a boy named Palden came to study in class eleven. He was a joy on the stage and he would dance as if he was the most handsome boy in the hall. Every muscle in his body exhibited passion as they swayed and flexed with the tempo of the music. In dance, your face has to equally do the job your other body parts are doing and Pelden knew that very well. The gleeful mischievous facial expressions on his face were...(as somebody put) mind-blowing. The hall would come alive with his rowdy group and it was hard not to tap your feet. 

Before he left, Palden passed on the tapori torch to another boy called Nono Jimmy, who is presently in class eleven. From what I gathered, it sounded a bit exaggerated and dramatic too but I was very much moved by what I heard. I felt it like a tragic powerful scene from a movie, where the father before dying tells his son to carry on his legacy. He had said that the faith of tapori lies in Nono's hands. He had clenched his fist and told Nono that he should keep tapori alive and kicking for all times to come at Punakha HSS. 

 Nono and his new recruits performed last night and it was again...MIND-BLOWING. 
Picture courtesy: boxofficecaupsule.com 
A video would have been good but my internet sped doesn't allow it.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 6, 2013 at 11:57 PM

    Congratulations To all our Tapori dancers.... Indeed they r keeping a legacy!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 7:36 PM

      yes sir...it was absolutely awesome n we really enjoyed... fortunate to have such a dancer in our school PHSS

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 6, 2013 at 8:14 PM

    thank u sir.... your words were far more beta Dan ma moves.....yours palden

    ReplyDelete
  3. NobuNovember 8, 2013 at 12:21 AM

    It's nice to hear from you Palden. I hope you are doing well. The stage misses you.

    ReplyDelete

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