International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 8, Issue 3 (May-June 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of June to publish your research paper in the issue of May-June.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 8 Issue 3
May-June 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

From Stage to Stigma: The Untold Story of Nachni

Author(s) Prof. Rupa Biswas
Country India
Abstract West Bengal is a treasure trove of folk culture, and Purulia is one of the anthropologically rich districts especially known for two art forms—Chhau Nach and Nachni Nach. While Chhau Nach draws from martial traditions and epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Nachni, the dance, is performed by women dancers, who are accompanied by male partners known as Rasiks and musicians singing Jhumur songs, one of the prominent folk forms of song from the land of red soil. Despite its cultural depth and aesthetic value, Nachni Nach has long been shadowed by social stigma and marginalization. Nachnis are often regarded as “sub-women” and excluded from mainstream society. Belonging largely to lower socio-economic groups, many women enter this tradition through poverty, abandonment, or childhood trafficking, and their relationships with Rasiks—lacking social legitimacy—are predominantly about their outcast status. Over time, society has unfairly associated Nachnis with obscenity and prostitution, deepening their vulnerability and eroding the community’s willingness to pass down the tradition to younger generations. Drawing from gender studies and theories of marginalization, this paper situates Nachnis within the broader spectrum of women’s exclusion from cultural recognition. The study highlights the paradox of a tradition that enriches Bengal’s cultural heritage yet leaves its women practitioners socially and economically vulnerable. The analysis underscores and examines the urgent need for cultural rehabilitation, gender-sensitive policy support, and alternative livelihood opportunities to safeguard both the dignity of Nachni women and the continuity of their endangered art form.
Keywords Nachni, Rasik, Folk Dance, Jhumur, Purulia, Cultural Stigma, Marginalization
Published In Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On 2026-05-15
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.78581
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 3Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com
Powered by Sky Research Publication and Journals