National Tribal Dance Fest concludes
| Date :30-Dec-2019 |
Staff Reporter :
RAIPUR,
Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha and Uttarakhand won first prize in different categories of National Tribal Dance Festival, which concluded with many enchanting performances and much fanfare at Science College Ground here on Sunday evening. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the National Tribal Dance Festival. Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr Charandas Mahant presided over the function. Speaker of Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Nanabhau Patole was present as a special invitee on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced that five-day Rajyotsava would be celebrated on the occasion of the state foundation day every day, in which first two-day local artists would perform and National Tribal Dance Festival would be conducted during the remaining three days.
Baghel said the identity of the state which was known for naxal menace, has been changed during the past one year of his government which is striving hard to fulfill the dreams of ancestors. “We waived loans of farmers, procured paddy at Rs 2500 per quintal and introduced universal Public Distribution Scheme to provide 35 kg rice to every family in the state and took many other decisions in the interest of people of the state,” he said. The Chief Minister said that national tribal dance festival will be held every year along with Rajyotsava. Baghel criticized the policies of the previous state government and said that earlier, Chhattisgarh was known for Naxal violence.
“Now, Congress government has changed identity of Chhattisgarh by waiving farmers’ short term agricultural loans. The State government is working for welfare of farmers and tribals,” stated Baghel. The people of Chhattisgarh are deeply connected with art and culture, he said. In his address, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Nanabhau Patole praised the efforts of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to organise the tribal dance festival. Patole said that he would request the Maharashtra government to organise such kind of event in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker said that such kind of event would be helpful to bring new energy in the life of tribals. Dance is an importance part of tribal culture.
There are 20 tribal dominated districts in Maharashtra. The culture of Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra are almost equal, he added. Patole also praised the efforts of Bhupesh Baghel government for waiving off farmers’ loans. Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr Charan Das Mahant also spoke on the occasion. Chhattisgarh Culture Minister Amarjeet Bhagat gave the welcome addressed. Industry Minister Kawasi Lakhma proposed the vote of thanks. Winners of four categories of the National Tribal Dance Festival were honoured with prize, citation and cheque. The winners received the prizes from Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Nanabhau Patole. Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh were given to winner, first runner-up and second runner-up respectively. In marriage and Sanskar category, Chhattisgarh won first position while Jharkhand secured second position.
Third prize went to Ladakh and Sikkim. Himachal Pradesh secured consolation prize in the category. In traditional festival and ritual, Odisha bagged first position while Maharashtra won second prize. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand secured third prize. Madhya Pradesh was given away consolation prize in the category. In harvesting of crops and agriculture category, Bihar bagged first position while Uttar Pradesh secured second position. Tripura and Tamil Nadu won third prize. Telangana was given away consolation prize. In other traditional dance category, Uttarakhand bagged first prize while Himachal Pradesh won second prize. Two dance troupes from Gujarat jointly secured third prize.
Arunachal Pradesh was given away consolation prize in the category. Dance troupes from Uttarakhand, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Kerala and Tripura presented tribal dances and mesmerized the audiences on the third day of the festival, on Sunday. Dance troupes from Chhattisgarh presented Dandami Maria dance and Gaur Maar dance. The artists from Uttarakhand presented Lashpa dance and Mukhota dance on the last day of the festival. Artists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Bangladesh, Uganda and Belarus also performed on the last day of the festival and enthralled the audience. In the three-day dance fest, around 1800 from 25 states and three union territories of the country and six other countries presented varied folk dance forms of their respective regions.
Meanwhile, the dignitaries also distributed prizes to winner of the fest which was held in four categories. Health Minister T S Singhdeo, Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey, Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar, Cabinet Minister Dr Premsai Singh Tekam, State Congress President Mohan Markam, MLAs Vikas Upadhyay, Kuldeep Juneja, Anita Sharma, Chief Secretary R P Mandal, Secretary of the Culture Department Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi, other public representatives and senior officers attended the concluding ceremony.