Garba dance of Gujarat makes it to UNESCO list
- December 7, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Garba dance of Gujarat makes it to UNESCO list
Subject: History
Section: Art and culture
Context:
- Gujarat’s traditional dance form, “Garba,” has been added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, becoming the 15th cultural element from India to receive this recognition.
More about Garba
- Garba is a traditional dance form from Gujarat, India, primarily performed during the Navratri festival to worship the Hindu goddess Durga.
- Origins: The term “Garba” comes from “Garbha” (womb) and “Deep” (lamp).The dance is performed around a central lamp or a representation of the Goddess, symbolizing life, death, and rebirth.
- Nature of Dance: Garba is characterized by energetic, circular movements, clapping hands, and intricate footwork, reflecting the cyclical nature of life.
- Music and Instruments: The dance is accompanied by rhythmic music, traditionally using instruments like the dhol (drum), harmonium, and flute, with modern adaptations including electronic instruments.
- Traditional Attire: Women wear a chaniya choli (a colorful, embroidered skirt set) and men don a kediyu and dhoti or pajama, often embellished with mirrors and embroidery.
- Inclusivity and Community Aspect: The dance is inclusive, attracting people of all ages and backgrounds, and emphasizing community participation.
- Dandiya Raas Association: Garba is often followed by Dandiya Raas, another dance form using sticks (dandiyas), especially after the Aarti (worship ritual).
India’s ICH on the UNESCO list
- Sangeet Natak Akademi is the nodal organisation which looks after this function, and files nominations of intangible cultural entities from India, for evaluation by the international body.
- ICG from India include Kolkata’s Durga Puja (2021), Kumbh Mela (2017), Navroz (2016), Yoga (2016), traditional brass and copper craft of utensil-making among coppersmiths of Punjab (2014), Sankirtana, a ritual musical performance of Manipur (2013), and the Buddhist chanting of Ladakh (2012).
- Before 2011, the list included Chhau dance, Kalbelia folk songs and dance of Rajasthan, and Mudiyettu, a dance drama from Kerala (2010), Ramman, a religious festival and theatre performance of Garhwal in the Himalayas (2009), and Kutiyattam or Sanskrittheatre, and Vedic chanting (2008).
- Ramlila, a traditional performance of Ramayana, was also included in 2008.
What is UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) ?
- ICH means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated with them that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as a part of their cultural heritage.
- Furthermore, its importance is not in the cultural manifestation itself, but in the wealth of knowledge, know-how and skills that are transmitted from one generation to the next.
- The adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the ICH by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2003 was a crucial step towards preserving intangible heritage.
- UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was established in the year 2008.
Criteria for the selection
- There are three criteria for an intangible cultural heritage to be inscribed in the United Nations list.
- The entity must-
- be recognized by communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals as part of their cultural heritage,
- be transmitted from generation to generation and be constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history and
- provide them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity