Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 12: Several tribal artistes from across the country converged at the three-day National Tribal Dance Festival hosted by the state government, and gave audiences a taste of their folk cultures over the course of three days.
Artistes from states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Uttarakhand performed at the festival. Of the troupes, Orissa POST got an opportunity to interact with a troupe leader from the Bhutia tribe that had come all the way from Uttarakhand.
Prem Hindwal, who belongs to Joshimath in the picturesque district of Chamoli in Uttarakhand, said performing his art was the driving force of his life.
“I began learning dance at the age of 13. During my visit to a village during an annual festival, I came across a tribal called Jagmohan Bhutia who was a wonderful artiste. He was dancing and at the same time playing on the drum. The people who were watching were spellbound by his performance and were cheering him exultantly. That struck a chord deep within, and I right there decided to learn that art from the same fellow,” says Hindwal, who now performed with his troupe in the city to much acclaim.
“For three years I learned the Bagdawal, Punia dance and music forms from Bhutan and my first public performance was at the age of 16 in Farkiya village on the occasion of Duphadhar Mela celebrated each year on August 15,” Hindwal said.
That first public appearance in Farkiya brought Hindwal so much recognition in the area that he was soon invited to perform in Dehradun at the Garhwal festival.
“Uttarakhand’s culture development committee member Nand Kishore Hatwal saw my performance and was impressed, and later invited me to perform at the Garhwal festival in Dehradun. That was the happiest moment of my life. Then about ten years back, I was invited to perform in the India International Trade Fair Delhi by Balraj Negi, an official of the Uttarakhand culture department.”
Hindwal won several awards along the course of his journey from his native village to the national capital Delhi. He is the first junior artiste from Uttarakhand to receive a fellowship from the Union Ministry of Culture.
“Among the awards I got, a few are very special to me like the National Youth Icon Award by Creative Media in 2013, in the wake of conservation of folk dance and music. The first award (Scheduled Tribe Folk Dance Expert Award) that I received in 2007 was conferred by Janjati Kalyan Samiti, Dehradun,” Hindwal said.
Speaking at the national-level conference on tribal welfare in September 2009 held in Delhi, Hindwal suggested that instead of having cheerleaders perform in IPL matches, it would be a wonderful way to connect to our folk culture and would also be a great service to folk art if we could allow folk artistes to perform.
“My suggestion was widely appreciated. If it goes through, tribal artistes from all over the country would have a wonderful opportunity to showcase their art and boost their livelihood. Our culture will also be on display for foreign visitors,” Hindwal said.
Hindwal, now a temporary employee with the Youth Welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal, rues that folk artistes like him are bereft of proper support from the government.
“The government even cuts my pay when I take leave to perform. The Uttarakhand government has not provided us any support. Instead, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya (IGRMS) wing of MP government provides full support to troupes,” Hindwal said. The troupe named ‘Bhutia Sanskriti Kala Manch Samiti’ founded by Hindwal was registered in 2002 and since then is doing its best to conserve the traditional dance and music forms of the Bhutia tribe.
“The Orissa government has done a lot by providing livelihood to the tribals,” Hindwal said.
