SSC
The Bagurumba folk dance of Assam is performed by which community?
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Answer: Option C — Bodo
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Bodo. Bagurumba is a folk dance of the Bodo (Boro) community of Assam, one of the largest tribal communities of the state. The Bodos live mainly in the Bodoland Territorial Region in the north-western part of Assam, in districts such as Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri.
Bagurumba is often called the "butterfly dance", because the dancers' movements, with their arms spread wide and their shawls held out like wings, resemble the flight of butterflies. It is performed by young women dressed in the colourful traditional Bodo dress called the dokhna, with a jwmgra (shawl) and an aronai (scarf). The dancers move gently and gracefully, imitating birds, butterflies, flowing water and other elements of nature. Men provide the music, playing instruments such as the sifung (a long bamboo flute), the kham (a drum), the serja (a bowed string instrument), the tharkha (a split bamboo clapper) and the jotha (cymbals). Bagurumba is performed mainly during Bwisagu, the Bodo new year festival held in mid-April, which coincides with Rongali Bihu. Bwisagu is a time of feasting and prayers to Bathou, the supreme deity of the traditional Bodo faith, and Bagurumba is its most celebrated dance.
About the other options:
- The Mising community of Assam celebrates the Ali-Ai-Ligang festival with its own dances.
- The Karbi community, of the Karbi Anglong hills, is known for the Chomangkan festival and its dances.
- The Rabha community is known for the Baikho festival.
- These are all communities of Assam, but Bagurumba belongs to the Bodo community.
💡 Exam tip
Bagurumba is asked through its community (Bodo), its nickname (the butterfly dance) and its festival (Bwisagu). Assam's other famous dances include Bihu, Sattriya, Jhumur (of the tea garden communities), Deodhani and Ojapali.💬 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.