Who among the following is associated with the traditional Maach singing style?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Om Prakash Sharma. The Ujjain-based artiste (Pandit Om Prakash Sharma) has been the leading face of Maach — the centuries-old folk musical theatre of Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region — for over seven decades. He belongs to the 'Ustad Kaluram school' of Maach, founded by his own grandfather, Ustad Kaluram, and was conferred the Padma Shri in 2024 in the Art category specifically for promoting traditional Maach folk songs linked with plays — having written 18 new Malwi plays, produced Maach productions, composed music, and trained younger artists.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) A different, similarly-named 2024 Padma Shri awardee from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh — honoured for singing Kabir/Nirguni bhajans in the Malwi dialect, not for Maach. (Not to be confused with Ustad Kaluram, Om Prakash Sharma's own grandfather and the founder of his Maach school.)  (b) A para-swimmer from Madhya Pradesh — the first Divyang Indian to receive the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award — an athlete, not connected to Maach or folk singing.  (c) A scholar, playwright and researcher in Sanskrit/Hindi/Malwi literature from Dhar district, MP, also honoured with a 2024 Padma Shri — but in the Literature & Education category, as a writer on Malwi culture, not as a Maach singing-tradition performer.

Concept: Maach is the centuries-old folk musical theatre (dance-drama) of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, performed through night-long shows with dialogues sung to dholak, harmonium and sarangi accompaniment. Om Prakash Sharma, trained from childhood by his father (a classical singer) and shaped by his grandfather Ustad Kaluram's Maach school, is its best-known living exponent.

State PCS 2024 Q84 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q84 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer