New Delhi, Jan 26 (PTI) From Rajasthani men swirling in vivid red 'lal aangi' during the 'ger' folk dance to exquisitely attired women performing Assam's graceful 'sattriya', nearly 2,500 artistes from across the country came together to celebrate Republic Day on Monday -- bringing India's cultural diversity, beauty and spirit of unity into sharp focus.
In a nearly 10-minute performance themed on 'Vande Mataram' at Kartavya Path in the national capital, spectators were treated to literally all dance forms of India towards the end of the ceremonial parade, as the country celebrated its 77th Republic Day.
From popular Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Bhangra to lesser-known 'Gedi' dance of tribals in Chhattisgarh and 'ger' dance of Rajasthan, the presentation was not just a visual and sartorial spectacle but also a brief lesson in India's rich art forms.
'Gedi' dance is performed during the monsoon and harvest seasons. It involves dancers on bamboo stilts ('gedi') producing rhythmic beats while depicting village life and tales, Laxminarayan Mandle from Bilaspur, who performed at the parade, said.
The overarching theme of this year's Republic Day parade was 150 years of 'Vande Mataram'. Around 100 artistes heralded the parade on the theme 'Vividata Mein Ekta' that featured a grand presentation of musical instruments, demonstrating the nation's unity and rich cultural diversity.
Drawn from Maharashtra to Mizoram, the musicians rendered the tune of 'Vande Mataram' on traditional instruments.
After the grand display of its military might during the parade, the group of nearly 2,500 artistes converged on Kartavya Path, filling the section of the ceremonial boulevard from its intersections with Man Singh Road and Janpath.
After enthralling the spectators with their coordinated moves, the results of days of hard work to achieve synchronised choreography, many artistes were later seen chanting, dancing, and celebrating their successful performance on Kartavya Bhawan premises.
Odissi dancer Sudha Ranigeru joined Punjabi Bhangra dancers, while Bharatanatyam dancers celebrated alongside Haryanvi folk artistes.
"It was a 'mini India' that performed together, and it is a 'mini India' celebrating together. You can see, we are all culturally different, and wear different costumes, but in spirit we are all one, which is what we celebrated together on the Kartavya Path," Ranigeru told PTI.
Manipuri dancer Meruni Ph said the Republic Day is about celebrating "our India and its diversity and its unity in diversity".
For the last two weeks, the mega group of artistes had practised rigorously on the premises of IHM, Pusa, ahead of the big day.
Hiteshi Sharma, a native of Haryana's Narnaul, shared the challenges faced during rehearsals.
"We Haryanvi dancers have to wear 'daaman' (long traditional skirt) that we have to twirl while performing. Initially, one dancer's 'daaman' would get stuck in another's. But our choreographer trained us to perfect the moves, and today we did it," she told PTI.
The creative team behind the project included M M Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, Anupam Kher as narrator and Santosh Nair as choreographer, under the overall supervision and direction of Sandhya Purecha. Creative design and costumes were handled by Sandhya Raman, according to officials of the culture ministry, which organised the two performances.
Keeravani shot to international fame after the song 'Naatu Naatu', composed by him for the blockbuster film 'RRR', won an Oscar award in the Best Original Song category in 2023.
Among the highlights of the parade was the 'lal aangi ger' or just 'ger' dance of Rajasthan, performed by men wearing 'lal aangi' or long red gown.
"It is an ancient dance form, and each 'lal aangi' is very heavy, so we have to be careful. Each artiste also wears a headgear akin to what a groom wears at a wedding. It is very colourful," said Mahavir Singh, leader of one of the groups of such dancers.
Another dance form showcased was 'dedhiya' from Uttar Pradesh.
"When Ram ji (Lord Ram) returned from his 14-year exile, the women of Ayodhya had used pots with perforations and a 'diya' inside, to ward off any evil eye on him, and performed 'dedhiya'. And, so we dance with pots with 'diya' inside," Vrinda Malviya, a Prayagraj native, who performed in the group, told PTI.
President of the European Council, Antonio Costa and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, graced the occasion as chief guests.