Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Meghalaya.

Key Points

Nongkrem dance festival:

• Period: Generally, in the month of November, every year.
• Venue: Smit, the Khasi Hills in Meghalaya.
• The Nongkrem dance festival is celebrated during Autumn at Smit, the cultural centre of the Khasi Hills.
• It is a five day long religious festival of the Khasis, Ka Pomblang Nongkrem dance is popularly known as Nongkrem dance.
• Nongkrem Dance Festival is performed to appease the all-powerful Goddess Ka Blei Synshar for a rich bumper harvest and prosperity of the people.

Additional Information

• Other major festivals of Meghalaya:
  • Shad Suk Mynsiem, Wangala, Laho dance festival, etc.
  • The state is also known for its popular modern festivals such as Autumn festival, Strawberry festival, Cherry blossom festival etc. 

The correct answer is James Prinsep.

• James Princep was a European scholar who deciphered the edicts of the Ashoka.

Key Points

• James Prinsep -
  • He was an English scholar, orientalist, and antiquarian.
  • He was the founding editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
  • He is best remembered for his understanding of the Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts of ancient India.

Additional Information

•  V Gordon Childe -
  • He was an Australian archaeologist specializing in the study of European prehistory.
  • He became the first exponent of Marxist archeology in the Western world.​
• Alexander Cunningham -
  • He became famous as a famous scholar of Indian archaeology, historical geography, and history.
  • He is considered the father of the Archaeological Survey of India.

The correct answer is Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti.

Key Points

• The Originator of the Chishti Order in South Asia was Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
• Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti came to India with the army of Shihabuddin Ghori in 1192 AD.
• Muinuddin Chishti made his residence in Ajmer.
• He was born in 1141 in Iran.
• The Chishti Order is a Sufi order which arose from Chisht, a small town near Herat, in western Afghanistan.
• It was founded by Abu Ishaq Shami in about 930 CE (Christian Era).

Additional Information

• Sufism is one of the mystical orders that grew out of Islam.
• Classical Sufi scholars define it as a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but god.
• Sufism became prominent during the period of early Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE).
• The Sufi movement has spread to several continents over a miillennium. 
• It has considerable following in India and Kashmir is a prominent base.

Key Points

Mohini Attam:

• Mohiniattam or Mohiniyattam is an Indian classical dance form that evolved in the state of Kerala.
• Mohiniattam is among the two popular dance arts of the state, the other being Kathakali.
• Mohiniyattam is considered a very graceful form of dance meant to be performed as solo recitals by women.
• It is believed to have originated in the 16th century.
• It is one of the eight Indian classical dance forms recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Important Points

• Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, the doyen of classical dance form Mohiniyattam passed away in the Palakkad district of Kerala. She was 77.
• She was regarded as a matriarch of Mohiniyattam and was well-known for her experimental reforms in this classical dance form which helped to preserve and popularise the traditional art form. 

Thus, Mohini Attam is a famous dance form of Kerala.

Additional Information

Kuchipudi:

• Kuchipudi, one of the major dance forms of India was originated from Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the traditional dance of the state.
• It grew largely as a product of the Bhakti movement beginning in the 7th Century AD.
• Kuchipudi derives its name from the village Kuchelapuram, where it was nurtured by great scholars and artists who built up the repertoire and refined the dance technique.

Bharat Natyam:

• Bharata Natyam is a form of Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu.
• It is known for its grace, elegance, purity, tenderness, expression and sculpturesque poses.

Kathak:

• Kathak is a North Indian dance that originated in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
• The name Kathak comes from the word "Katha" which means a story.

Kathakali:

• Kathakali is a classical Indian dance form which is a story play genre of art is the folk dance form of Kerala.
• Kathakali is the most difficult style of the traditional dance form.
• In this, the actors speak ‘sign language’ where hand gestures are used to dictate word part of the character and facial and eye movements express emotions and mood.
• Kathakali is based on the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. 

Odissi:

• Odissi is a dance of love and passion touching on the divine and the human, the sublime and the mundane.
• The Natya Shastra mentions many regional varieties, such as the south-eastern style kanharis were the chief repositories of this dance.
• The maharis, who were originally temple dancers came to be employed in royal courts which resulted in the degeneration of the art form.

The correct answer is A - 1, B - 2, C - 3, D - 4.

Key Points

• Folk dances of Uttar Pradesh:
  • Charakula is a pitcher dance which is the folk dance of Brajbhoomi.
  • Pai Danda dance is performed by Aheers of Bundelkhand.
  • Rai Nritya is a peacock dance of the women of Bundelkhand. It is performed on the occasion of Shrikrishna Janmashtami.
  • Shara Dance is popular in the districts of Hamirpur, Jhansi, and Lalitpur in the Bundelkhand region. This dance is done by the young boys and girls of the farming community in the rainy season. In this dance, worship, and blessings of Vedic deity Indra is sought for the successful harvesting of the crop
  • Deepawali dance is done by Bundelkhandi Aheers, on the occasion of Deepawali, with lightened lamps held on the head.
  • Kartik's song-dance is prevalent in the Bundelkhand region of the state. Kartik's song is a description of the relationship between Krishna and Gopis.
  • Dhobiya Raga is performed by the Dhobi castes of the state.
  • The dance performed on the occasion of auspicious events by kahar is called Natwari Nritya.
  • Chaurasia Dance is a dance performed by Kahars in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
  • Karma dance is a dance jointly organized by women and men of Coal tribes in the Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh.
  • Hence, Option 1 is correct.