MPPSC 2024 Prelims Paper-I · Question 96 of 100

Correct — C, Kudgarya. Gammat is a folk-theatre tradition of the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, traditionally staged around Holi as a series of comic, satirical, mime-and-dance episodes performed without a fixed script. The performer who conducts the show — introducing and linking its separate episodes, the same function a sutradhar performs in other Indian folk-theatre forms — is called the Kudgarya in Gammat.

• (a)Ghughermal — Not the term the official key credits for Gammat's sutradhar/conductor role.
• (b)Thothaya — Not the term the official key credits for Gammat's sutradhar/conductor role.
• (d)Khamras — Not the term the official key credits for Gammat's sutradhar/conductor role.

Gammat is one of Madhya Pradesh's living folk-theatre traditions, native to the Nimar region and distinct from the state's better-known Malwa-region form, Maanch. Performed mainly around Holi by local troupes without a written script, it strings together comic sketches, mimicry and dance, held together by a conductor figure who introduces and links each episode — a role folk theatre across India generally calls the sutradhar.

MPPSC frequently tests the exact local name for a stock role within a specific Madhya Pradesh folk-art form — the trap is answering with the generic term ('sutradhar' itself) instead of the tradition-specific name the key wants.

• Gammat: a folk-theatre tradition of the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, traditionally performed around Holi.
• The Kudgarya is Gammat's sutradhar — the performer who conducts and links the show's episodes.
• Gammat is unscripted and blends comic dialogue, mimicry and dance.
• Distinct from Maanch, Madhya Pradesh's other major folk-theatre tradition, native to the Malwa region.

• Answering with the generic term 'sutradhar' itself instead of the Gammat-specific name, Kudgarya.
• Confusing Gammat (Nimar) with Maanch (Malwa) — Madhya Pradesh's two distinct folk-theatre traditions.

MPPSC likes naming the exact local term for a role within a named Madhya Pradesh folk-art tradition — memorise tradition→role pairs rather than generic definitions.

No directly related past UPSC PYQ was found. The nearest UPSC folk-theatre question (1996, matching Tamasha/Ankia Nat/Naqqal/Baha to their states) tests different, non-overlapping forms and does not touch Gammat or this role-name.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which folk theatre tradition, performed mainly during Holi and built around comic, unscripted episodes, is native to the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh?

  • (a)Maanch
  • (b)Gammat
  • (c)Nautanki
  • (d)Bhavai

  Answer(b) Gammat — the Nimar region's Holi-season folk theatre.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Bhavai, a folk theatre form combining dance, drama and satire, is traditionally associated with which state?

  • (a)Gujarat
  • (b)Odisha
  • (c)Kerala
  • (d)Punjab

  Answer(a) Gujarat.