R-Day tableaux depict ancient Odisha, Bauls of Bengal

New Delhi, Jan 26: The maritime activities in ancient Odisha coupled with popular folk dance Dalkhai of the state were showcased at the 67th Republic day parade on Rajpath here today.

The tableau of Odisha presented the past maritime activities and its glorious tradition of Boita-Bandana festival in front of an audience that included President Pranab Mukherjee, visiting French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ancient Odisha, popularly known as Kalinga, was the epicenter of the inland and foreign trade and the tableau depicted that tradition. The VIP guests were given a glimpse of Dalkhai, a folk dance from Sambalpur of western Odisha.

About 140 school girls from the capital presented a dance on Rajpath to the tune of the popular folk music of the state. Dalkhai dance depicts the culture and tradition of tribal girls. The tableau of West Bengal ,which gave a rendition of famous Baul culture in the state, also attracted attention.

Bauls of Bengal are a wandering minstrels community, which follows a distinctive spiritual and musical tradition that had its roots in Bhakti and Sufi movements.

The Baul tradition was included in the list of 'Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' by UNESCO in 2005. The folk singers, coming from both Hindu and Muslim communities, spread the ideals of peace, brotherhood and mystic philosophy through simple words and metaphors. Baul genre also conveys social messages in rural Bengal.

PTI