Gotipua Dancers from Raghurajpur

Roopa Mehta from Sasha being felicitated

tribal dance festival

On a warm summer night we (a team from sasha) were hurtling down a road in Orissa towards Karamul. The whole landscape was bathed in the light from a rising red moon and the foliage looked like something out of a miniature painting. The air was actually fragrant and we were expecting great things from the Tribal Art and Cultural Festival , 'Nishan - 2002' organized on the 29th and 30th March 2002 by Anwesha Tribal Arts and Crafts in collaboration with the Eastern Zone Cultural Center (EZCC), Kolkata. The main objective of this festival was to 'make the people delighted' (quoted from a report made by Anwesha) and they certainly succeeded. After a ceremonial welcome with musicians and dancers and flickering torch lights, and speeches and award presentations by the various guests of honor, the dancing finally began.

The troupes that took part were

• Rasa Sankirtan, Kararmul
• Santali Dance Group, West Bengal
• Laudibadi, Karamul
• Dongria Kondh Dance Group
• Paraja Dance Group, Koraput
• Khanjani Vadana Group
• Ghuduki Dance Group
• Ghoda Nacha Dance
• Danda Nacha, Goradapala
• Gotipua Dancers from Raghurajpur

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Paraja Dance Group, Koraput

Dongria Kondh dancers