Nautanki

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Nautanki (Hindi: ) is a famous folk theater and operatic drama form, popular in northern India especially
in Uttar Pradesh.[1] Before the advent of cinema in India, it was the most popular form of entertainment
prevalent in these areas. Usually a nautanki consisted offolklore and mythological dramas with interludes
of folk songs and dances. Now it has taken other forms. In many areas it has been restricted only to female
dance shows. Consequently, this art is losing popularity and goodwill among admirers day by day.

History[edit]
Nautanki has its origins in the folklore of North India about a princess with incomparable beauty who was
so delicate to weigh only as much as a flower. This folklore took the shape of a drama then known
as sangeets (musicals) by the name, Nautanki Shehzadi ("The Story of Princess Nautanki"), soon it
became so popular that the name became that of the genre itself. The word, nautanki, comprises two
words, nau meaning "nine" and tank referring to a "silver coin weighing four grams", and thus
metaphorically implies that the graceful princess weighs only 36 grams (9 X 4 grams).[2]