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Aji Lamu, a folk dance of Arunachal Pradesh, is performed by which tribe?
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Answer: Option C — Monpa
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Monpa. Aji Lamu is a folk dance of the Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The Monpas live mainly in the Tawang and West Kameng districts, in the western part of the state, near the borders with Bhutan and Tibet (China). They follow Tibetan Buddhism, and their culture has much in common with that of Bhutan and Tibet.
The Aji Lamu dance is a masked dance-drama, performed by a group of performers who wear colourful masks and costumes. It usually involves characters such as the "Aji Lamu" (the goddess or fairy characters), the hunter, the king and the clowns, and it tells stories from Buddhist legends and folklore, with music, songs, dialogue and humour. The dance is performed during festivals such as Losar (the Tibetan new year, celebrated in February or March) and Torgya (a festival of the Tawang monastery, held in January), and at other community celebrations. The dance is believed to bring blessings and good fortune to the community and to drive away evil.
The Monpas are also known for the Yak dance, a masked dance in which performers dress as a yak and its rider, recounting the legend of how the yak was discovered. The Tawang Monastery, one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in India, founded in the 17th century, is the most important religious and cultural centre of the Monpas. The 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born near Tawang in 1683.
About the other options:
- The Nyishi tribe is known for the Rikhampada dance and the Nyokum festival.
- The Adi tribe is known for the Ponung and Tapu dances and the Solung festival.
- The Apatani tribe of the Ziro valley is known for its wet rice cultivation, its facial tattoos and nose plugs (in the past), and the Dree and Myoko festivals.
- None of these performs the Aji Lamu.
💡 Exam tip
Link the Monpa tribe with Tawang, Aji Lamu, the Yak dance and the Losar and Torgya festivals.💬 Discussions on this question
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Indian Dance Forms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian Dance Forms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Indian dance forms are one of the most frequently tested areas of static GK. This topic covers the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya), the folk and tribal dances of every state, and related terms such as mudra, abhinaya, lasya and tandava. Most questions ask which state a dance belongs to, which community performs it, or which feature identifies a classical style. Learn the classical dances with their state and one signature feature each, such as the face make-up of Kathakali or the brass plate of Kuchipudi. For folk dances, group them state by state, since exams often list three or four dances and ask for the common state. Watch for dances shared by more than one state, such as Chhau, which has three styles. Practise the Indian dance forms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.