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ABHIRAJ AND GROUP

Godau Naach is the traditional folk dance of the Gond people, a caste native to Uttar Pradesh. Hudka is a traditional percussion instrument that is prominently used in this dance. Abhiraj is from the Gond community and took to performing after his father. The group he now manages was originally run by his father. Abhiraj has been managing the group for 25 years now.

Aside from the Gonds, the region has six other castes, like Kahar, Dheemar, Dhobi, etc. who are all named after the occupations they performed historically. Each of them has its own folk music and dance, but they are all similar to each other, differing in minor variations of costume or dance. Of these, Kaharwa is particularly popular these days, and Abhiraj’s group also performs this dance. Hence, he has named his group – “Godau Kaharwa Dance Party”.

His group includes a singer who dresses up as a Joker and also entertains the audience with dancing. This kind of entertainment is today popular among most of the folk groups in Uttar Pradesh. The joker serves as a spectacle and flashy entertainment to keep the audience engaged. The songs they perform draw upon stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other Puranas and are in the Awadhi (also known as Paschimi) or Purbi dialect of Hindi. They have performed in many places across Uttar Pradesh, including Allahabad and Varanasi and have even performed once in Delhi. Abhiraj claims that they are the only Godau dance group in the Azamgarh district, but still they have struggled to gain attention and recognition beyond their home state.

MUSICIANS

Arvind Gond

Sonu Rajbhar

Lalsa Rajbhar

Faujdar Prajapati

VIDEOS

Contact ABHIRAJ at +91 7317825766