Aspirant Academy

History

Current Affairs Integration

Folk Music, Folk Dances, Folk Stories, Folk Lores

Paper I · Unit 1 Section 13 of 15 0 PYQs 48 min
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Current Affairs Integration

Recent Developments

  • Rajasthan Ghoomar Festival 2025 (November 2025): The Rajasthan government organised simultaneous Ghoomar performances across all 7 divisional headquarters (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Bikaner) in a single day — the first event of this scale in state history. Over 10,000 women performers participated. The initiative is linked to the state's larger folk-arts promotion budget of ₹45 crore allocated in the 2025-26 state budget for intangible cultural heritage.

  • RISA (Rajasthan Indigenous and Sustainable Arts) Tribal Brand (March 2026): The Rajasthan government launched RISA — a state-backed commercial label for tribal folk arts, including Bhil paintings, Garasia textiles, and tribal music recordings — in March 2026 as part of the Tribes Art Fest 2026 held at Jaipur. RISA creates a GI-like branding mechanism for tribal arts not yet covered by formal GI tags, providing tribal artisans direct market access via the RISA e-commerce portal. This is the first state-government folk-arts commercial brand in India.

  • Tribes Art Fest 2026 (Jaipur, March 2026): A 5-day festival at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, featuring 800+ tribal artists from Rajasthan's 12 scheduled tribal communities. The festival included Bhil Gair performers (Banswara), Garasia Walar dancers (Sirohi), and a dedicated Devnarayan Phad performance series. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs co-funded the event under the Pradhan Mantri Adijati Unnat Gram Abhiyan scheme.

  • Barmer Morchang Utsav (January 2026): The 9th edition of the Barmer Morchang Festival attracted 120 performers from 14 countries, with a dedicated Kamayacha-Ravanhatha paired workshop designed to document endangered instrument techniques. The Sangeet Natak Akademi initiated a formal documentation drive capturing 60+ hours of performance footage of the remaining Kamayacha masters.

Potential Exam Questions from Current Affairs

  1. Possible question: What is RISA, and how does it support Rajasthan's tribal folk arts?
    Answer pointers: State-backed commercial brand launched March 2026; covers Bhil, Garasia, Meghwal folk arts; e-commerce direct market access for tribal artisans; part of Tribes Art Fest 2026; first such state-government folk-arts brand in India; distinct from GI Tag mechanism but complementary.

  2. Possible question: Discuss the significance of the Rajasthan Ghoomar Festival 2025.
    Answer pointers: Held November 2025; simultaneous across 7 divisional HQs; 10,000+ women performers; linked to ₹45 crore folk arts budget in 2025-26 state budget; Ghoomar designated State Dance in 2023; promotes intangible heritage at grassroots level.

  3. Possible question: What challenges does the Kamayacha instrument face, and what institutional measures exist to preserve it?
    Answer pointers: Fewer than 15 masters as of 2024-25; Manganiar patronage eroded post-1947 land reforms; Barmer Morchang Utsav provides performance platform; Sangeet Natak Akademi documentation drive (2026); Sakar Khan Padma Shri 2012 raised global awareness; UNESCO Endangered Instruments watch list.