SSC
Zangtalam (Zang Talam), a popular dance of Mizoram, is performed by which tribe?
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Answer: Option A — Paite
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Paite. Zangtalam (also written Zang Talam) is a dance of the Paite tribe of Mizoram. The Paites are one of the communities of the Mizo and Chin-Kuki group, and they live in the southern and eastern parts of Mizoram as well as in Manipur. Zangtalam is one of the dances that the Paite people perform to celebrate the harvest and other important occasions.
In the Zangtalam dance, the dancers, both men and women, dance together in a group to the beat of drums and the singing of traditional songs. The dance is joyful and lively, and it expresses the happiness of the community after a successful harvest. Like other Mizo and Kuki-Chin communities, the Paite people mark the farming year with festivals and community feasts, at which such dances are performed.
Mizoram has many traditional dances, most of which are linked with the farming year or with community celebrations. Cheraw, the bamboo dance, is the best known of them. Khuallam, the "dance of the guests", is performed by guests at a community feast called Khuangchawi. Chheih Lam is performed at joyful occasions, with the dancers squatting in a circle and singing. Chai is a group dance performed during the Chapchar Kut festival, which is held in March after the jungle has been cleared for jhum (shifting) cultivation. Other Mizo dances include Chailam, Sarlamkai (a martial dance) and Tlanglam. Mizoram has three main festivals, called kuts, which are Chapchar Kut, Mim Kut and Pawl Kut.
About the other options:
- The Reang (Bru) community lives mainly in Tripura and Mizoram and is known for the Hojagiri dance of Tripura.
- The Adi tribe lives in Arunachal Pradesh and is known for the Ponung and Tapu dances.
- The Garo tribe lives in Meghalaya and is known for the Wangala festival.
- None of these performs the Zangtalam.
💡 Exam tip
Mizoram's dances appear in SSC exams. Remember Cheraw (bamboo dance), Khuallam (dance of the guests), Chheih Lam, Chai and Zangtalam (Paite tribe), and the three kuts: Chapchar, Mim and Pawl.💬 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.