<div>Tribal dances, being original and devoid of outside influences, have a charm of their own. Reflecting the energy of tribal people, they mirror the culture and tradition of the states they belong to. I experienced this firsthand during my recent visit to the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. <br /><br />As my visit was just after the harvest season, I was lucky to witness and enjoy the famous Chaitra festival dance, popular among the Gonds of Bastar district.<br /><br />Performed to thank goddess Annapurna for the harvest gathered, and to seek her blessings for the next crop, the festival dance had men and women dancing in circles or semi-circles or rows, holding each other’s waists. As the dancers swayed to the rhythm of music and lost themselves to the beat, the audience was left mesmerised. The most interesting part of this dance was their colourful ensemble, complemented with jewellery made of cowry shells and pearls, and peacock feathers adorning their heads. The musical instruments accompanying this dance, the ones I could identify, were shehnai, nagada and dholak. The rest, I soon learnt, were timki, tapri, maduri, singha and kohuk.<br /><br />Another dance that caught my fancy was gaur, performed mainly by the Sing Marias or Tallaguda Marias of south Bastar, to celebrate the tribal hunting spirit. <br /><br />Inspired by the movements of bisons, the dance form is characterised by wild, unpredictable moves. Dancers wore unique headgear adorned with horns, stringed cowry shells and peacock feathers; beaded necklaces; brass kadas; and bulky anklets. <br /><br />The dance began with the blowing of a bamboo trumpet. While the male dancers played flutes and drums, the women dancers carried dancing sticks, tirududi, in their right hands and tapped them on the ground for their beats to correspond with the drums’ beating. Their jingling anklets added to the charm of the dance. Male dancers spiritedly beat the drums, attacked each other, tossed horns, threw grass in the air, and even chased the female dancers!<br /><br />The tattooed bodies, colourful costumes, hypnotic beats, foot-tapping music, energetic dance moves... How I wish I was one of them!<br /><br /></div>
<div>Tribal dances, being original and devoid of outside influences, have a charm of their own. Reflecting the energy of tribal people, they mirror the culture and tradition of the states they belong to. I experienced this firsthand during my recent visit to the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. <br /><br />As my visit was just after the harvest season, I was lucky to witness and enjoy the famous Chaitra festival dance, popular among the Gonds of Bastar district.<br /><br />Performed to thank goddess Annapurna for the harvest gathered, and to seek her blessings for the next crop, the festival dance had men and women dancing in circles or semi-circles or rows, holding each other’s waists. As the dancers swayed to the rhythm of music and lost themselves to the beat, the audience was left mesmerised. The most interesting part of this dance was their colourful ensemble, complemented with jewellery made of cowry shells and pearls, and peacock feathers adorning their heads. The musical instruments accompanying this dance, the ones I could identify, were shehnai, nagada and dholak. The rest, I soon learnt, were timki, tapri, maduri, singha and kohuk.<br /><br />Another dance that caught my fancy was gaur, performed mainly by the Sing Marias or Tallaguda Marias of south Bastar, to celebrate the tribal hunting spirit. <br /><br />Inspired by the movements of bisons, the dance form is characterised by wild, unpredictable moves. Dancers wore unique headgear adorned with horns, stringed cowry shells and peacock feathers; beaded necklaces; brass kadas; and bulky anklets. <br /><br />The dance began with the blowing of a bamboo trumpet. While the male dancers played flutes and drums, the women dancers carried dancing sticks, tirududi, in their right hands and tapped them on the ground for their beats to correspond with the drums’ beating. Their jingling anklets added to the charm of the dance. Male dancers spiritedly beat the drums, attacked each other, tossed horns, threw grass in the air, and even chased the female dancers!<br /><br />The tattooed bodies, colourful costumes, hypnotic beats, foot-tapping music, energetic dance moves... How I wish I was one of them!<br /><br /></div>
