Kanaka Raju, who received the Padma Shri in 2021, is an exponent of which tribal dance?

Explanation

Kanaka Raju, a tribal artist from Telangana, received the Padma Shri in 2021 for his lifelong work in preserving and promoting the Gussadi dance of the Gond tribe.

Kanaka Raju belongs to the Gond community of Marlavai village, in the present-day Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district of Telangana, which was earlier part of the Adilabad district. He learnt the Gussadi dance as a young man and has spent decades performing it and teaching it to younger members of his community, at a time when the tradition was facing decline. He has performed at festivals and cultural events in many parts of India and has trained many young dancers, helping to keep the dance alive.

The Gussadi dance is performed by the Raj Gond tribe of the Adilabad region during the Dandari festival, which is celebrated around Diwali. During this festival, groups of Gond men travel from village to village, dancing and singing, which strengthens the bonds between villages. The Gussadi dancers wear spectacular headgear decorated with peacock feathers, and they often wear animal skins, smear their bodies with ash or charcoal, and carry sticks. The dance is performed to the beat of drums and other traditional instruments, and it has a strong ritual and devotional meaning for the community.

The Gonds are one of the largest tribal communities of India, living mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha. They are also famous for Gond painting. Kumuram Bheem, a Gond leader who fought against the Nizam's rule in the 1930s and 1940s, is a hero of the community, and the district is named after him.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Ghoomar is a folk dance of Rajasthan performed by women.
• ✗Bihu is the folk dance of Assam.
• ✗Lavani is a folk dance of Maharashtra.