Bidesia is a kind of dance drama, a twentieth century folk theater form prevalent in the Bhojpuri-speaking region of
Bihar. The creator of these plays is Bhikari Thakur, a barber who left his home to form a theater group. His dramas always dealt with the issues of confrontation: between the traditional and the modern, the urban and rural, and the rich and the poor.
The emotions of birha or pangs of separation find expression in the bidesia. Women left alone when their men are away trying to earn a living in the city, sing melancholy songs. They curse their fate in their songs. The train , sometimes represented as the other woman, the weather, the in-laws are all criticised in these songs.
