Ghumra: Orissa's fading folk dance

Merinews, July 29, 2009
CJ: Bikram Panda

Ghumra is a dance form popular among some tribal people of Orissa. The tribals of Kalahandi mainly perform this dance during religious and traditional festivals like Nuakhai or Dasera. This dance is performed only by men..

GHUMRA IS the indigeneous dance of Kalahandi and its origin can be traced to the Indravati Peninsula. The tribals of Kalahandi mainly perform this dance during religious and traditional festivals like Nuakhai or Dasera. This is a male dance, performed by 15 to 40 persons. The Gond, Kond, and Bhatra tribes traditionally perform this dance. The Mahavir Sanskrutika Anusthan of Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi, is the only supporting organisation or trust supporting the Ghumra dance in Orissa.

This writer belong to Charbahal, a small village of Kalahandi district in Orissa. During my school days, I used to get a chance to see the traditional Ghumra dance during Nuakhai Basi. But nowadays, the folk dance is almost extinct. You can only see the Ghumra dance during the Kalahandi Utsav. Is the folk dance of Kalahdni fading away? Why don't we get a chance to see the traditional folk dance during Nuakahi these days? The folk dance of Orissa, has faded away due to many reasons.

Given below are some of the solutions that could ensure the preservation of the traditional folk dance:

Government should take the necessary steps for the support of the traditional dance form Monetary support must be provided to the tribal population who ensure that the folk dance is kept alive

Charitable trusts must come forward to arrange stage shows or competitions

Awareness must be created among people to support the folk tradition

The government should establish one organisation in each subdivision of the district to support Ghumra and other folk dances

Politicians of the district should come forward to showcase Ghumra at the state as well as national level.