RAS question
'Mand' singing tradition is centered in which region?
Correct answer: (A) Thar Desert (Jaisalmer-Barmer).
Mand singing is centred in Rajasthan's Thar Desert belt, especially the Jaisalmer-Barmer region.
Explanation
Mand is a Rajasthani folk singing tradition whose centre is the Thar Desert region, particularly Jaisalmer and Barmer. The Padma Awards citation for Mand singers Ali Mohammed and Ghani Mohammed describes Mand as a very popular folk singing style of Rajasthan, especially in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer. That official description places the tradition firmly in western Rajasthan's desert cultural belt, which matches the option naming the Thar Desert with Jaisalmer-Barmer. The other regions listed are important parts of Rajasthan's cultural geography, but they are not the centre for Mand in the Padma Awards citation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Hadoti is not identified in the Padma Awards citation as a centre of Mand singing.
- (C) Mewar is not the region linked with Mand; the Padma Awards citation instead names western Rajasthan locations such as Jaisalmer and Barmer.
- (D) Dhundhar is not identified in the Padma Awards citation as the centre of Mand singing.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan folk music and regional cultural mapping. It recurs in RAS because art-and-culture questions often ask candidates to link a named tradition with its core region.