The Kalbelia dance, performed as a celebration, is an integral part of Kalbelia culture. Their dances and songs are a matter of pride and a marker of identity for the Kalbelias and they represent the creative adaptation of this community of snake charmers to changing socioeconomic conditions and their own role in rural Rajasthani society.The dancers are women in flowing black skirts who dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent. The upper body cloth is called Angrakhi and a piece of cloth worn on head known as Odhani similarly the lower body cloth is called Lengha. All these cloths are mixed in red and black hues and embroidered in such a way that when these dancers perform these clothes represent a combination of colours soothing to eyes as well as to the atmosphere.The male participants play musical instruments, such as the pungi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes, the dufli, been, the khanjari - a percussion instrument, morchang, khuralio and the dholak to create the rhythm on which the dancers perform. The dancers are tattooed in traditional designs and wear jewelry and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. As the performance progresses, the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance.
Kalbelia songs are based on stories taken from folklore and mythology and special dances are performed during Holi. The Kalbelia have a reputation for composing lyrics spontaneously and improvising songs during performances. These songs and dances are part of an oral tradition that is handed down generations and for which there are neither texts nor training manuals. In 2010, the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan were declared a part of its Intangible Heritage List by the UNESCO.
Folk dances too contribute significantly to the culture of the state. In fact, for many people when it comes to visualize Rajasthani culture, the first image to pop up in their mind is that of women clad in traditionally vibrant attire, pirouetting gracefully, performing the best known Rajasthani folk dance Ghoomar or performing incredible feats like balancing nine earthen pots on head while standing on the sharper edge of a sword- Bhavai. Dances like Kalbeliya, Khayal, Kachchi Ghodi, Maand, Jamra, Madal, Daph, Chari are the other gems of the cornucopia Rajasthan’s culture often represents.
Indeed, with so many aspects it is feat in itself to even imagine about RajasthPadmaavat. re in its whole immensity. But if one really wishes, one can experience in the exuberance of cultural festivals and fairs of the state its most striking cultural features. The cattle fair of Pushkar, Mewar Festival in Udaipur, Gangaur and Teej in Jaipur, summer and winter festival celebrations in Mount Abu, Marwar festival in Jodhpur, Kolayat fair in Bikaner, Beneshwar fair in Banswara, and Chandrabhaga of Jhalawar are few of the several options Rajasthan presents its visitors with, to touch all the varied aspects of its rich culture in minimal time.
In these fairs, one can see the lively performances of the state’s folk dancers, listen to the soul-stirring tunes of the folk instruments, taste the delectable cuisine of the state and most of all, and experience the pulsating soul of Rajasthan in its people, who at the end of the day are the real contributors of its celebrated culture.
The long stretches of monochrome Thar Desert get relieving vibrant breaks where the culture of the state makes efforts to color its (mostly) drab geography. The colorful garbs of the people of Rajasthan have always attracted eyes of the world; and when this multihued attire gets a swirling touch of the folk dance, the resultant exuberance is beyond compare. One such culture-enhancing folk dance of Rajasthan is Ghoomar.
Derived from the Hindi word ‘Ghoom’ which literally means ‘to twirl’, Ghoomar is the most well-recognized folk dance of the nation. As the name signifies, the chief movement of the dance form includes pirouetting. The footwork and hand movements are always in the synchronization of this spinning motion.
Ghoomar is conventionally performed by women in groups, who wear colorful, mirror embedded ghaghras (flowing skirts) and cover their faces with a matching-colored veil. Such vivid looking synchronized movements creates an almost surreal environment, which further gets strength from the haunting music of Rajasthan’s folk musical instrument.
This incredible dance form is often performed as a means of celebrations on feisty occasions like marriage ceremonies and festivals like Holi and Teej. Rajasthan has varied lists of folk songs for each of these occasions and the simple steps of Ghoomar somehow appear well with all of them. Most popular traditional songs for Ghoomar are "Gorband", "Pudina", "Rumal" and "Mor Bole Re".
It is believed that the dance form was initially developed within the Bhil tribe. Bhil’s is essentially a martial community that used to live on the boundaries of different kingdoms. The tribe used to have regular conflicts with the erstwhile Kachwaha rulers of the region. Later, both the communities led a peaceful coexistence allowing their vibrant cultures to find a pleasing union, a product of which is Ghoomar dance as we know it today.
The result of this unification had made this tribal dance an important part of the state’s regal culture. The ladies of the royal family adopted the folk dance as their own and thenceforward it spread throughout the boundaries of Rajputana, creating wonderful blends with the already existing dance forms of the area. For instance, in Udaipur, the proximity with the neighboring state Gujarat had resulted in giving a Garba touch to it, likewise in Bundi, the prevalent Chakri dance has a clear impression on the basic pirouetting steps of Rajasthani Ghoomar.
Watch Deepika Padukone performing "Ghoomar" as Rani Padmaavati in the most controversial Bollywood movie of this year, Padmaavat.
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