Former Congress president and MP Rahul Gandhi, wearing traditional tribal head gear, shook a leg with ‘Dandami Madia’ dancers with “mandhar” in his hands as he inaugurated the three-day National Tribal Festival, 2019 at Science College ground, Raipur on Friday.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Chhattisgarh state Congress president Mohan Markam and ministers were also part of the dance troupe.
During the inaugural session, a procession of all participating teams was taken out with participants dancing to the rhythm of their respective traditional beat.
Arunachal Pradesh troupe presented the traditional ritual dance form followed by artistes from Ladakh presenting flower dance. Karnataka troupe presented Sugli dance form followed by colourful presentation by a team from Belarus.
It was during performance of ‘Dandami Madia’ dance, chief guest Rahul Gandhi and other dignitaries, comprising mainly cabinet ministers, joined the team of dancers.
Troupes from 23 states, three union territories, and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, Maldives and Belarus are participating in the biggest ever cultural extravaganza in the state.