Transformation and decline of Sawng: The socio-cultural effects of migration and the changes in intercommunity relations in Calcutta c.1870–1930

Sawng, one of the famous street performances of nineteenth-century Calcutta, was later used as one of the ‘weapons’ of the nationalist movement in the early twentieth century. The leaders of the nationalist movement appointed songwriters or playwrights from elite and educated communities, but the people who performed sawng on the streets of Calcutta came from slum areas. Though these people were from different labouring communities, sawng was known as Kansariparar Sawng (the sawng of the bell metal workers) or Jeleparar Sawng (the sawng of the fishermen). This article focusses on the effects of demographic changes on the socio-cultural world of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Calcutta. It also focusses on the impact of migration from 1876 to 1931 to understand the reasons behind the decline in the performance of sawng. The article also tries to unpack the complexity of different caste groups which took part in these popular street performances.