MISCELLANEOUS/FACTS PAINTINGS, ART, CRAFTS, DANCE FORMS MADHUBANI: Madhubani art (or Mithila painting) is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. It originated from Madhubani district of the Mithila region of Bihar. This painting is done with a variety of tools, including fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks and using natural dyes and pigments. It is characterized by its eye-catching geometrical patterns. There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti, Kali Puja, Upanayana, and Durga Puja. Madhubani painting has received GI (Geographical Indication) status. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 1 CHHAU DANCE Regions: Seraikella (Jharkhand), Purulia (West Bengal) and Mayurbhanj (Odisha). Origin:The origin of the dance is traceable to indigenous forms of dance and martial practices.It is also intimately connected to regional festivals notably the spring festival Chaitra Parva. Features:The dance is performed at night in an open space to traditional and folk melodies played on the reed pipes mohuri and shehnai. In 2010,it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ZARDOZI ART Regions:Zardozi or Zar-douzi, also Zardosi work is a type of embroidery in Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey, Central Asia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Meaning: Zardozi comes from two Persian words: zar or zarin meaning 'gold', and dozi meaning 'sewing'. Zardozi work in India Gold embroidery has existed in India since the time of the Rigveda, between 1500 and 1200 BC. It prospered during the 17th century during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, but later a loss of royal patronage and industrialization led to its decline. The craft began to experience a resurgence in popularity following India's independence in 1947 Today, zardozi is popular in the Indian cities of Lucknow, Farrukhabad, Chennai and Bhopal. In 2013, the Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded Geographical Indication (GI) registration to the Lucknow zardozi . © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 2 Intangible culture Why in news? Manipur’s tradition of making rice beer, the practice of tying turbans in Rajasthan and several different dances, forms of music and festivals from across the country were among the 106 items listed as intangible cultural heritage in a draft. Examples of Intangible culture. Devotional music of Qawwali and the music of the oldest instrument in the country, the Veena. The Kumbh Mela and Ramlila traditions folk festival of Pachoti in Assam . Kinnar Kanthgeet and compositions of Ameer Khusro are among the entries from Delhi . The making of khor, a rice beer, by the Tangkhul community in Manipur From Jammu and Kashmir, the Kalam Bhat or Qalambaft gharana of Sufiana music in Budgam district and from Ladakh, the Buddhist chanting across both Leh and Kargil districts were on the list of intangible cultural heritage . © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 3 Kerala’s martial art form, Kalaripayuttu, and the practice of making designs at the entrance of homes and temples called kolam in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh BANDINI Bandhani is a type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design. The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root bandh ("to bind, to tie"). Today, most Bandhani making centers are situated in Gujarat,Rajasthan, Sindh, Punjab region and in Tamil Nadu where it is known as Sungudi. Earliest evidence of Bandhani dates back to Indus Valley Civilization where dyeing was done as early as 4000 B.C. The earliest example of the most pervasive type of Bandhani dots can be seen in the 6th century paintings depicting the life of Buddha found on the wall of Cave 1 at Ajanta TRADITIONAL FOLK THEATRE OF INDIA KOODIYATTAM One of the oldest traditional theatre forms of India, Koodiyattam follows the performative principles of the ancient tradition of Sanskrit theatre. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 4 However, it has its own distinctive characteristics that are firmly rooted in the culture of Kerala. This theatre was traditionally a part of temple rituals performed in sacred theaters, called Koothambalams. In 2001, Koodiyattam was officially recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. YAKSHAGANA Yakshagana is a popular folk theatre form of Karnataka with a long history of nearly four hundred years. It is a unique harmony of musical tradition, eye-catching costumes, and authentic styles of dance, improvised gestures and acting, with its extemporaneous dialogue holding a wide appeal. The themes are generally derived from the mythological stories and epics. Traditionally presented from dusk to dawn, this folk theatre is predominantly seen in the coastal districts of Karnataka. SWANG A popular folk theatre form in Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, Swang is centered around music. In this folk theatre, religious stories and folk tales are enacted and sung by a group of a dozen or so artistes. Characterized by loud rendering of dialogues and songs (a legacy of its open air performances in the past), Swang has two important styles – one that belong to Rohtak (performed in the © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 5 Bangru language)and the other that belongs to Haathras (performed in the Brajbhasha language). BHAND PATHER The centuries old traditional theatre form of Kashmir, bhand pather is a unique combination of dance, music and acting. Satire, wit and parody are commonly used in this folk drama that incorporates local mythological legends and contemporary social commentary. Traditionally, the performances begin in the evening with a ritualistic dance called chhok. THERUKOOTHU A unique form of rural entertainment in Tamil Nadu, therukoothu literally means street theatre. RAMMAN It is a ritual theatre that is a part of a religious festival in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. ANKIYA NAAT BHAONA Bhaona is a presentation of the Ankiya Naat, a one-act play that has its roots in rural Assam. A creation of Srimanta Sankardeva (an Assamese saint-scholar), these plays were written in Brajavali, a unique Assamese- Maithili mixed language, and are primarily centered on Hindu diety, Krishna. TAMASHA A traditional folk theatre form of Maharashtra, tamasha flourished in the courts of Maratha rulers of the 18th and 19th centuries and attained its artistic peak during the reign of Baji Rao II . It has evolved from the folk forms such as gondhal, jagran and kirtan. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 6 Unlike other theatre forms, in tamasha, the female actress is the lead performer and the chief exponent of dance in the play. BHAVAI Bhavai is the traditional theatre form of the Kutch and Katiawar region of Gujarat. Subtle social criticism laced with humour is the speciality of this theatre that also uses instruments like the bhungal, pakhaawaj, rabaab, sarangi and manjeera. DASHAVATAR Dashavatar is a folk theatre form practiced by farmers of the Konkan coast Sindhudurg district of of Maharashtra and the North Goa district of Goa. KARYALA A traditional folk theatre form of Himachal Pradesh, karyala is normally performed around the Dussehra festival, i.e. in October-November. With local variants all over Himachal Pradesh (banthada in Mandi, budechhu in Sirmaur and bhagtu in Kangra), karyala generally derives its theme from the daily life and concerns of the villagers. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 7 FESTIVALS FESTIVAL NAME PLACE OCCASION Petta Thullal Kerala It is the ritualistic sacred dance to celebrate the victory of good over evil in the legend of Lord Ayyappa. During annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season. Performed during the Mandalam Makaravilakku period (November, December and January). Bohag Bihu Assam Celebrated during the middle the month of April. This marks the beginning of the new Assamese calendar year started (around April 15). In Assam, three Bihu festivals are celebrated in a year called as RongaliBihu or BohagBihu, Bhugali (MaghBihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) for marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar. Vaisakhi(baisaki). Sikhs. Vishu. Kerala. Harvest festivals of NabaBarsha Bengal. different states. PuthanduPirappu Tamil Nadu The Iranian New Year, Persian New Year or the Parsi New Year will be celebrated on March 20 in India. While the festival is a Navroz holy festival for the Zoroastrian, some Muslim and Iranian communities, it is celebrated by several faiths across the world © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 8 Festival is the spring festival in Goa Shigmo Goa celebrated by the Konkani diaspora of Goa, with a lot of pompous and splendour. This festival takes place in the Phalguna month, according to the Saka calendar of the Hindu community living in Goa. rakuUtsav Andhra Pradesh Araku Valley is a hill station and valley region in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is surrounded by the thick forests of the Eastern Ghats mountain range Ambubachi Mela Guwahati,Kamakhya Temple This mela is also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival since it is closely associated with Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in eastern parts of India. Even some Tantric Babas make their public appearances only during these four days. Temple priests said the ritualistic fair celebrating the Goddess’ period is one of the reasons why taboo associated with menstruation is less in Assam compared to other parts of India. The attainment of womanhood of girls in Assam is celebrated with a ritual called Tuloni Biya, meaning small wedding. © Winnishers Educational Services Pvt Ltd 9 Bishnu sendra parva Jharkhand and the Annual hunting festival neighbouring Odisha and observed by tribals. West Bengal, Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS Lai haraoba Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Festival is celebrated Meghalaya, Myanmar and by Meitei people to Bangladesh. please sacred trees called “Umang Lai”. The Lai Haraoba Festival in the state of Manipur is celebrated in the month of May.