The State ST and SC Development (SSD) department organised a three-day national tribal dance festival from Wednesday which was concluded on Friday with much fanfare.
This year’s festival featured tribal dance troupes from Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Organised by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRT) under the SSD department, the festival was held at the Utkal Mandap in the premises of the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya.
The festival started with a colourful dance performance by Kutia Kandha tribe of Odisha. The Kutia Kandha, a small sub tribe of the Kandha tribe, performed Dhangidi dance. Playing the traditional instruments like horn, trumpet, flute and drum, etc. they enthralled the audience present there.
Troupes from Odisha also performed Birli, Dhemsa, Sarhul and Rinjha dances in the second and third evening of the programme. The main attraction of the festival was Hori and Diwari dance, performed by Rathwa tribe of Gujurat. These dance pieces are basically performed to show respect towards men, nature and animal. These dance items won huge applauses from the crowd.
Bhutia tribe of Uttarakhand showcased Bagadwal dance. Baiga tribe from Madhya Pradesh performed Pardhauni, Karma and Fag dances. Similarly, Gedi dance by Muria tribe and Falgun Halka dance of Kharia tribe, etc. were main attractions of the festival.
SC/ST Minister lalbihari Himirika inaugurated the dance festival, which was organised in association with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manab Sangrahalaya (Bhopal).