Garba Dance Gujarat’s traditional dance form ‘Garba’ was on | UPSC PRELIMS Mains 2024
Garba Dance
Gujarat’s traditional dance form ‘Garba’ was on December 6 included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) .
Garba is a dance form native to the Indian state of Gujarat, performed in October to honour the Hindu Deity of Divinity, Goddess Durga.
It is a joyful style of dance, based on a circular pattern and characterized by a sweeping action from side to side.
Garba performances often include singing and a musical accompaniment traditionally provided by dhol (double-headed drum) and the similar but smaller dholak; hand clapping; and assorted metallic idiophones, such as cymbals.
Garba dances celebrate fertility, honour womanhood, and pay respect to any of an array of mother goddesses.
In Gujarat the dances customarily mark a girl’s first menstrual cycle and, later, her imminent marriage. Garba dancing also takes place during the nine-day Navratri festival.
The popular dance form is the 15th cultural item from India to make it to the UNESCO list. Kolkata’s Durga Puja was the last one added two years ago.
Today, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed ‘Garba of Gujarat’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 18th session, taking place in Kasane, Botswana from 5 to 9 December 2023,” the UNESCO said in a statement.
