The third edition of the National Tribal Dance Festival (NTDF), organised by the Chhattisgarh government, started on a colourful note on Tuesday. Teams from various Indian states and troupes from 10 foreign countries presented glimpses of their traditional folk dances at the inaugural programme.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the festival on the occasion of the 12th foundation day of the state and said that its main objective was to conserve tribal traditions and culture and achieve unity at the global level for tribal rights. “Only when we conserve tribal cultural values worldwide, will we be able to safeguard our unity and achieve the concept of sustainable development with ecological balance,” the CM said.
Baghel and Chhattisgarh Assembly speaker Charandas Mahant formally announced the opening of the festival beating a tribal percussion instrument ‘Nagada.’ It was followed by the synchronized playing of other tribal musical instruments by artists present in the audience.
The CM also released a coffee table book on the dance festival during the event and welcomed the participating teams.
About 1,500 artists from 28 states and seven union territories of India, and 10 countries including Mozambique, Togo, Egypt, Mongolia, Indonesia, Russia, New Zealand, Serbia, Rwanda, and Maldives will be participating in the festival organised by the Tourism and Culture Department of the state government.
The dance fest cum competition will be held in two categories-‘dance on the occasion of harvesting of crops’ and ‘dance on traditional occasions and rituals’- over three days, from November 1 to 3.
The dance festival began at Science College ground in Raipur with teams from Tamil Nadu presenting the traditional ‘Toda’ dance which was followed by ‘Dhamali’ dance from Jammu & Kashmir and ‘Domahi Kikan’ by Assam artists. Tribal teams from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala also performed soon after the inauguration.
‘Tribals wish equal rights on natural resources for entire humanity’
Addressing at the inauguration, Baghel said that the dance forms of tribal communities across the world are similar to a large extent. The small wish of the tribal people is that the entire humanity should have equal rights to nature and conserve it in a united manner. “We have worked a lot to conserve Chhattisgarh culture and today is a moment for self-pride as 1,500 artists from across the globe will participate in the third tribal dance festival. This will help in widening the scope of dissemination and exchange of tribal culture,” Baghel said.
The CM added that erroneous concepts of development had put nature at threat and united efforts for conservation are very important. He said that Chhattisgarh is a state of tribal people and farmers. “Our government is moving forward with the same idea that formed the basis of the movement for a separate state,” Baghel said.
Other attractions
Besides the dance fest, visitors have a lot to look forward to at the venue. The central area of the Science College ground has been turned into a ‘Shilpagram’ (A Crafts village based on tribal folk art and craft; includes 40 stalls of different traditional art and craft wares).
21 State government departments have also set up stalls at the venue as part of state foundation day activities. These stalls showcase the developmental works being undertaken by the departments and their achievements.
A 24-stall food zone has been set up to provide the taste of traditional Chhattisgarh cuisine and other dishes of choice. Industries and public sector undertakings like BALCO, BSP, SECL, NTPC, NMDC and others have also put up stalls here. Besides these, a book fair and a medical assistance centre have also been set up at the venue.
Past festivals a grand success
The official website of the NTDF said that the festival aims to unite the tribal communities and provides an opportunity to educate about their rich culture for all. The first edition of the festival was organised in 2019 and it was inaugurated by Congress MP and the party's former president Rahul Gandhi. The NTDF '21 was inaugurated by Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. With various diverse tribal communities participating in the competition, both editions were great successes, the website said.