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While performing the Suwa folk dance of Chhattisgarh, the women act like which bird?
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Answer: Option A — Parrot
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Parrot. Suwa (also spelt Sua) is a folk dance of the women of Chhattisgarh, especially of the Gond and other tribal and rural communities. "Suwa" means parrot in Chhattisgarhi, and the dance is also known as the parrot dance.
Suwa is performed mainly after the harvest of the kharif (monsoon) crop, especially in the weeks before and during the festival of Diwali. Groups of women and girls go from house to house in the village, carrying a basket with an image of a parrot, made of clay or wood, placed on a bed of paddy. They place the basket in the centre, and then dance around it in a circle, clapping their hands in rhythm and singing Suwa songs. In the songs, the women talk to the parrot, which is believed to carry messages, and they express their feelings, such as their joys and sorrows, their love, the hardships of their lives, and their longing for their families and husbands. The songs also describe the stories of gods and goddesses, especially the love of Shiva and Parvati. In return for their performance, the families give them gifts of rice, money or food. Suwa does not traditionally use musical instruments, and the rhythm comes from the clapping of the dancers.
Chhattisgarh's other folk dances include Panthi (of the Satnami community), Raut Nacha (of the Yadav community, around Diwali), Saila (a stick dance of young men), Karma, the Gaur Maria (bison horn dance of Bastar) and Pandwani (the musical storytelling of the Mahabharata).
About the other options:
- The peacock dance is Mayilattam of Tamil Nadu.
- Sparrow and pigeon are not associated with the Suwa dance.
💡 Exam tip
Suwa is the parrot dance of the women of Chhattisgarh, performed around Diwali. Questions may ask for the state, the performers or the bird.💬 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.