January 21, 2014
Chhau dance to be Bengal`s tableau theme this year for Republic Day parade in Delhi
The Chhau Dance of Purulia will be West Bengal`s tableau, to be displayed at the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi.
During the Left Front rule, there was no system of displaying West Bengal`s tableau at the Republic Day parade, but after Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee came to power, a new theme is selected every year and it is displayed at the Republic Day parade at New Delhi.
A team of 10 Chhau dancers have already been sent to Delhi and they are conducting regular rehearsals too. The team was led by a famous Chhau dancer, Jodharam Kumar. In 2012, the theme of West Bengal`s tableau was the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and it was followed by Basanta Utsav of Santiniketan in 2013.
Chhau dance is mainly performed during regional festivals, especially the spring festival of Chaitra Parva which lasts for 13 days and in which the whole community participates. The Chhau blends within it forms of both dance and martial practices employing mock combat techniques (called khel), stylised gaits of birds and animals (called chalis and topkas) and movements based on the chores of village housewives (called uflis). The dance is performed by male dancers from families of traditional artistes or from local communities.
In West Bengal, tableaus of various departments – power industry, social and women development department – will be showcased at the Red Road parade. Natua dance of Purulia, Marui dance of Darjeeling will also be showcased at the state`s Republic Day Parade. Seven district schools and two city schools will participate in various cultural programmes at the Republic Day parade at the Red Road.
