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The Bhadam dance is popular among which tribe of Madhya Pradesh?
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Answer: Option D — Bharia
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Bharia. The Bhadam (also called Bharam) dance is a traditional dance of the Bharia tribe of Madhya Pradesh. The Bharias live mainly in the Chhindwara district, especially in the Patalkot valley, a deep, horseshoe-shaped valley surrounded by steep hills, where some villages were for a long time cut off from the outside world. They also live in the Jabalpur and Seoni districts and in parts of Chhattisgarh.
The Bharia tribe of the Patalkot valley is classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), a category of tribal communities that the government identifies as especially vulnerable because of their small population, low literacy and dependence on forests and traditional livelihoods. The Bharias have a deep knowledge of the medicinal plants of the forest, and their traditional healers, called bhumkas, use these plants to treat many illnesses. The Bhadam dance is performed mainly at weddings and other community celebrations. The dancers, usually men, dance in groups to the beat of drums and the music of other traditional instruments, with energetic, rhythmic movements, while singing traditional songs. The Bharias also perform other dances, such as the Ahirai and the Saila.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population of any Indian state. Its major tribes include the Bhil, Gond, Baiga, Korku, Bharia, Sahariya and Kol, and each has its own dances. The Bhils perform Bhagoriya, the Gonds and Baigas perform Karma and Saila, and the Korkus perform the Gadoli and Thapti dances.
About the other options:
- The Bhil tribe lives mainly in western Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat and is known for Bhagoriya, Ghoomar and Gair.
- The Santhal tribe lives mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
- The Toda tribe lives in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu.
- None of these performs the Bhadam dance.
💡 Exam tip
Link the Bharia tribe with the Patalkot valley of Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh), the Bhadam dance and their knowledge of medicinal plants.💬 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.