Gair, the vigorous circular dance of men in Mewar and Marwar, is performed chiefly on which festival?
- A.Gangaur
- B.Teej
- C.Holi
- D.Diwali
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Holi. Men of the Bhil and other communities of Mewar and Marwar dance Gair in a large circle during Holi, striking long sticks together in time with the dhol and the thali, and where women join the circle the form is called Gair Ghoomar. Option A is wrong because Gangaur, the festival of Gauri kept especially by women, is the occasion for Ghoomar, not Gair. Option B is wrong because Teej is also a women's festival and again belongs to Ghoomar. Option D is wrong because Diwali in Rajasthan is marked by worship and lamps rather than by a distinctive folk dance. A useful grouping is that Holi carries the men's dances and the Rammat theatre, namely Gair in Mewar, Gindad in Shekhawati, Bam in Alwar and Bharatpur and the Lur of the Garasias, while Gangaur and Teej carry Ghoomar.
Read the full article: Rajasthan Folk Dances and Folk Theatre: Exam Notes
Practice Questions
View allWhich folk dance of Rajasthan was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010?
- A.Ghoomar
- B.Kalbelia
- C.Chari
- D.Terah Taali
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The songs and dances of the Kalbelia community, the traditional snake charmers of Rajasthan, were added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010; the women dance in a flowing black skirt worked with silver ribbon to the been and the khanjari, with movements…
Read the full explanation →Terah Taali, in which thirteen manjiras are tied to the body, is performed by women of which community?
- A.Kanjar
- B.Gujjar
- C.Kamad
- D.Garasia
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Women of the Kamad community perform Terah Taali seated on the ground as an act of devotion to Baba Ramdev, with thirteen small brass cymbals called manjiras tied to the wrists, elbows, waist and ankles and struck in rhythm, while the men of the troupe play the tandoora.
Read the full explanation →The Chari dance of Rajasthan, performed with a lighted brass pot balanced on the head, belongs mainly to which area?
- A.Kishangarh and Ajmer
- B.Bikaner and Churu
- C.Jaisalmer and Barmer
- D.Kota and Baran
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The Chari dance is performed by Gujjar women of this belt, who balance on the head a brass pot, the chari, filled with cotton seeds soaked in oil and set alight, so the dance goes on beneath a flame; it marks weddings and the birth of a son.
Read the full explanation →The fire dance, or Agni nritya, of Rajasthan is performed by followers of which sect?
- A.Vishnoi sect
- B.Jasnathi sect
- C.Dadu sect
- D.Ramsnehi sect
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Followers of Jasnath, whose centres lie in the Bikaner and Churu area, perform the fire dance by stepping on and dancing over a bed of burning embers to the beat of the dhol, the dance being an act of faith at their fairs.
Read the full explanation →In which folk dance of Rajasthan does the performer balance a column of pots on the head and dance on the rim of a thali or the edge of a sword?
- A.Bhavai
- B.Chakri
- C.Kachhi Ghodi
- D.Walar
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In this dance of acrobatic skill a woman places one earthen or brass pot upon another in a tall column on her head and then dances on the narrow rim of a brass thali, on the edge of a sword or on a heap of broken glass, keeping the column…
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