Shri Ram Sahay Pandey is associated with which folk-dance art?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Rai. Ram Sahay Pandey, based in Sagar in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, devoted his life to performing and popularising the Rai folk dance — traditionally performed by the Bedia community — and was conferred the Padma Shri in 2022 for his contribution to the art form.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Bihu is the harvest folk dance of Assam, unrelated to Ram Sahay Pandey or Madhya Pradesh.  (c) Lavani is a folk dance-song tradition of Maharashtra, not linked to Pandey's work.  (d) Nautanki is a folk-theatre tradition associated with Uttar Pradesh/Rajasthan, not a dance form linked to Pandey.

Concept: Rai is a folk dance of the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, traditionally performed by women of the Bedia community, marked by brisk footwork and rhythmic movement to the accompaniment of folk instruments. Ram Sahay Pandey, though not himself from the Bedia community, spent decades working to give the dance social respectability and wider recognition, founding an organisation dedicated to Bundelkhand's folk arts, which earned him a Padma Shri in 2022.

State PCS 2021 Q18 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q18 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer