RAS question
The Chari dance of Rajasthan, performed by women carrying brass pots with lighted cotton on their heads, belongs to which community?
Correct answer: (D) Gujjar and Saini communities of Kishangarh area.
The Chari dance of Rajasthan is associated with the Gujjar and Saini communities of the Kishangarh and Ajmer region.
Explanation
Chari dance is a women’s group folk dance of Rajasthan, especially linked with Ajmer and Kishangarh. Society for Traditional Art and Rural Culture Sheo identifies it as prominent among the Gujjar and Saini communities of Kishangarh and Ajmer, which is why option D matches the community association asked in the question. Its visual marker is the chari, an earthenware or brass pot balanced on the head; during performance, the pot may carry a lit diya or fire with cotton seeds immersed in oil. It is also used at festivals and weddings, where the image of women dancing with lighted pots expresses celebration, water and prosperity.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Kalbelia is a separate Rajasthan folk tradition associated with the snake-charmer community, not the Chari dance with brass pots on women’s heads.
- (B) The Bhil tribe has its own distinct dance traditions such as Ghoomar and Gavri, so it does not identify the Chari community association asked here.
- (C) The Meena tribe has different folk dance traditions, while Chari is identified with the Gujjar and Saini communities of the Kishangarh and Ajmer region.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan Art and Culture habit of linking a folk dance to its performing community, region and signature prop. It recurs in RAS because several Rajasthan dances are separated by exactly these identifiers.