The Bakhshi of Uzbekistan is known as a storyteller, singer or an instrumentalist. There are Turkish and Chinese connotations of the word Bakshi. However, in Uzbekistan the Bakshi is a singer who is efficient enough to tell a story with flawless diction and melodious voice.
Bakshi is playing an important role in the Uzbekistan arts and entertainment from many past decades. Playing dotar – a double stringed musical instrument – the Bakshi of Uzbekistan is commonly found narrating a story with his vocal richness. Before achieving the title of Bakshi a person has to go through three main learning phases such as:
- how to play dotar
- the vocal techniques
- technique to remember an entire story
The very tradition of Bakshi is so old in Uzbekistan that today it has become an inseparable part of its culture. In fact Bakshi is counted as one of the most important elements of creative traits of Uzbekistan.
In the Coffee houses of Uzbekistan bazaars, weddings and local ceremonies the Bakshi presents his performance in front of a large gathering. Apart from Uzbekistan evidences of the presence of Bakshi has been found in Iran, turkey and China too.
Toady,
the Bakshi of Uzbekistan symbolizes the rich and ancient cultural feature of the place.
