The Bhopalites enjoyed varied cultures of the country. On Friday, the artists presented different folk dances at Shaurya Smarak.
Marking the second day Lok Utsav, the artists gave splendid performances back-to-back.
The event is being organised by Directorate of Swaraj Sansthan. Secretary of Culture Renu Tiwari was present as the chief guest on the occasion.
The event began with Bhadam dance of Chhindwara. The dance is performed every year in the month of March.
It is performed as a tribute to Isth Dev Bhimsen in the celebration of his marriage.
Later, the folk dance artists performed Matki of Malwa. This is a community dance of the Malwa, Matki is performed by the women on various occasions.
The dancers move rhythmically to the beating of a drum, locally called Matki.
This was followed by the dance performances of dances like Ghoda Pethai of Gond tribe, Gadli dance of Korku tribe, Chhatri dance of Malwa, Karma dance of Baiga tribe, Thapti of Korku and Ghoomar dance of Rajasthan.
Gadli dance is usually performed during the weddings at Korku tribe.
It is also performed during the festivals like Baisakhi to celebrate the new harvest and also at other festivals.
Thapti dance on the other hand is performed at night to celebrate the full moon night.
After various performances, the event was concluded with Ghoomar dance of Rajasthan. Ghoomar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan.
It was Bhil tribe who performed to worship Goddess Sarasvati which was later embraced by other Rajasthani communities. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear flowing dresses called ghaghara.
It was sight to watch for the art lovers of the city as they watched the performances with rapt attention.