Tripura’s pulse: Life set to song and dance

Agartala: Tripura people are beautiful-loving and have a good sense of humor and artistry. It is evident from their vogue of dance and music through which their thoughts and emotions are charmingly depicted. They have mainly four types of dances . Which may be classified into two ceremonial or ritualistic and recreational. These are Goria , Mamita , Lebang Bumani and Mosok Surmani.

To Tripura’s Goria is a God of wealth and Prosperity and accordingly the Goria had long since been worshipped by them. This Goria puja occurs from the last Chaitra and up to the end of the 1st week of Baisakhi.

This week-long Goria puja celebration bears a profound significance of the socio-cultural as well as socio-religious life of Tripura. We the Worshippers offer our oblation with intense longing for the aim of wealth and prosperity. The worship of Goria deity also term as the cult of Hok (jhoom ) cultivation as we hold that having of good crop is essential interwoven with the blessings of Goria deity whose boon can be acquired only by way of offering puja before we start Hok (jhoom) cultivation by cutting and burning forest . Goria puja is associated with the concept of agro-based rituals followed by dance recitals known as Goria dance.

On the other hand Goria dance can be attributed to twofold concepts , socialistic and ritualistic. It is ritualistic as it is performed around the alter of Goria deity when the puja goes on . When it is socialistic it helps attract large social gatherings. Goria dance retical is performed by a group of dancers to the rhythmic and beat of the Somui( Flute) and Kham (Drum) . Both female and male join in the dancing troupe. The dance begins with slow stepping and the stepping grows faster and swifter as the Kham beating is made faster and faster. Sometimes the dancers go round and round, arms weaving and swinging high and low . While dancing the dancers sing in a chorus sometimes making loud expressions, expressing the joyous mood .

When the dancers troupe accompanied by the priest set out from one village to another village, we proclaim the news of traveling of Goria deity to villagers with “ Balo re balo re Balo Goria raja Desh berai Goria raja Desh berai “ song .

In Goria dance there is no mystic concept. It is a dance to express the feelings of joy and satisfaction at the close of the year as well as at the beginning of Happy new year. The feature striking of Goria dance is its different kind of mudra or movements imitated from the natura as well as from the movements of birds and animals.