Indian Dancers

Indian dancers liven up the Indian Dance by entertaining as well as enlightening the people. The performance of the artists intensifies the dancing sequence and highlights the theme. The dances of India are either religiously reverent in nature, based on mythology, or they are intended to mark occasions, special ceremonies such as marriage, birth of a child or other auspicious events.

Famous Indian Dancers
Following are the famous Indian Dancers:

1.      Uday Shankar:- Uday Shankar (born Uday Shankar Chowdhury; 8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian classical, folk, and tribal dance, which he later popularised in India, Europe, and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.He was a pioneer of modern dance in India.

2.      Birju Maharaj:- Brijmohan Mishra , known as Pandit Birju Maharaj , (4 February 1938 – 17 January 2022, Delhi), was an accomplished dancer of the Allahabad-based Kalka-Bindadin dynasty of Kathak dance. He is descended from the Maharaj dynasty of Kathak dancers, including his two uncles Shambhu Maharaj and Lacchu Maharaj and his father and mentor, Achan Maharaj. Although dance was his first love, he was also a student and singer of Hindustani classical music .

3.      Mrinalini Sarabhai:- Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry, in the city of Ahmedabad. She received Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Shri in 1965. She also received many other citations in recognition of her contribution to art.

4.      Mallika Sarabhai:- Mallika Sarabhai is an activist and Indian classical dancer and actress from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Daughter of a classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is an accomplished Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer and performer who has specialized in using the arts for social change and transformation.

 

 

Caste laws in Manu Smriti

 

 The caste Laws in Manu Smriti claims a divine origin and codifies some of the laws of the Hindu caste system. The rigidity in the caste system is one of the main features of the caste laws. The divine order of caste as prescribed:

1. The Brahmin came from the mouth of Lord Brahma.
2. Kshatriya issued from the arms of Brahma.
3. The Vaishya comes from the thighs.
4. The Shudra comes from Brahma's feet.

Over fifty manuscripts of the Manusmriti are now known, but the earliest discovered, most translated and presumed authentic version since the 18th century has been the "Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) manuscript with Kulluka Bhatta commentary".Modern scholarship states this presumed authenticity is false, and the various manuscripts of Manusmriti discovered in India are inconsistent with each other, and within themselves, raising concerns of its authenticity, insertions and interpolations made into the text in later times.

The metrical text is in Sanskrit, is dated to the 1st to 3rd century CE, and presents itself as a discourse given by Manu (Svayambhuva) and Bhrigu on dharma topics such as duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and others. The text's influence had historically spread outside India. The text influenced Hindu kingdoms in Cambodia and Indonesia.

The structure and contents of the Manusmriti suggest it to be a document predominantly targeted at the Brahmins (priestly class) and the Kshatriyas (king, administration and warrior class).The text dedicates 1,034 verses, the largest portion, on laws for and expected virtues of Brahmins, and 971 verses for Kshatriyas.The statement of rules for the Vaishyas (merchant class) and the Shudras (artisans and working class) in the text is extraordinarily brief. Olivelle suggests that this may be because the text was composed to address the balance "between the political power and the priestly interests", and because of the rise in foreign invasions of India in the period it was composed.

 

 

 

 

 

All about Indian Communities

India is one of the world's oldest civilisations. The Indian culture, often labelled as an amalgamation of several various cultures, spans across the Indian subcontinent and has been influenced and shaped by a history that is several thousand years old. Throughout the history of India, Indian culture has been heavily influenced by Dharmic religions.They have been credited with shaping much of Indian philosophy, literature, architecture, art and music.Greater India was the historical extent of Indian culture beyond the Indian subcontinent. This particularly concerns the spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, architecture, administration and writing system from India to other parts of Asia through the Silk Road by the travellers and maritime traders during the early centuries of the Common Era. To the west, Greater India overlaps with Greater Persia in the Hindu Kush and Pamir Mountains. During medieval period, Islam played a significant role in shaping Indian cultural heritage. Over the centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs with Muslims across India

Some of the Hindu communities are:-

Balahi Caste:-  Balahi caste is the functional caste of weavers and village watchmen. They are mostly scattered over several regions of central India. They are practically confined to Hoshangabad District and Nimar District. They are the offshoots of the Kori caste of weavers. Further, it is also believed that in the central provinces, the Balahi caste have received accretions from Katias, the spinner caste and also from the Mahars, the menial caste of Maharashtra. Interestingly, in Hoshangabad District, the Balahi caste is alternatively called as Mahars whereas in Burhanpur, they are called as Bunkar or weavers by outsiders.

Bharbhunja Caste:-  Bharbhunja caste is considered as the occupational caste of grain parchers. The name of the caste has been derived from the Sanskrit term bhrastra, meaning a frying-pan, and bharjaka, meaning a person who fries. The Bharbhunjas chiefly belong to the northern region of the country. Bharbhunja caste is said to have a mixed origin, it is also connected with the Kahars. Bharbhunja caste in Saugor claims that their ancestors were Kankubja Brahmans who were ordered to dry rice.

Bhatia Community:-  Bhatia Community is basically the enterprising mercantile community of India. Originally a warrior race, Bhatia community is now mostly involved in trade and commerce. In the past, Bhatias were called "Bhattis". They claim to be the descendents of Kshatriyas or Rajputs. It is believed that they have originated from the Sindh province.Today, this community is mostly found in the north-western province of the country.

Chitari Caste :-  Chitari caste is a caste of painters. Chiter, Chitrakar and Maharana are the other names used for Chitari caste. Chiter is the Hindustani, and Chitari is the Marathi name of the caste. Both these terms are corruptions of the Sanskrit term 'Chitrakar'. Further, it is also said that Chitari is an occupational term applied to Mochis or leather workers, who lately have adopted the profession of wall-painting. Thus, it is also said that Chitaris from the Mochis. They also claim that their ancestors were Rajputs, whose country was taken by Akbar

Chitrakathi Caste  :-  Chitrakathi is a small group mainly comprising religious mendicants. They are found in several places of Central Provinces of India. The name of Chitrakathi is derived from chitra, which means a picture, and from the term katha, meaning a story. Traditional occupation of Chitrakathi caste is to travel around and exhibit pictures of heroes and gods, and reciting stories about them. It is believed that the community is of mixed functional origin. They have several exogamous sections and their names have been taken from those of Marathas.