The traditional folk musical instrument 'Gudum Baja' of the tribals of Madhya Pradesh is related to which district from the following?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A or C, both accepted (grace question). Gudum Baja is a large drum slung from the neck and struck with the hands while the player dances; the dance performed to it carries the instrument's own name. It belongs to the Dhulia drummer community of the eastern, Gond-dominated belt of Madhya Pradesh, and the districts named for it in the folk-culture literature are Dindori, Mandla and Shahdol together. Two of those three are on the option list, and the commission could not defend one against the other: (A) Shahdol is routinely credited with the Gudum Baja tradition, and (C) Mandla is the parent district of Dindori — the block most often described as the instrument's heartland, Bajag, lies in Dindori, which was carved out of Mandla district in 1998. With the tradition straddling both answers, the final key accepted Shahdol and Mandla alike and awarded the mark for either.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) A Satpura district of the Gond, Korku and Bharia (the Bharia of Patalkot) — culturally rich, but Gudum Baja is not attributed to it; the drum's belt lies further east, in the Mandla–Dindori–Shahdol tract.  (d) Jhabua is the heart of the western Bhil belt, whose signature is Bhagoria and the Bhil–Bhilala musical tradition. It sits at the opposite end of the state from the eastern drum belt Gudum Baja belongs to.

Concept: Gudum Baja is a hide-headed drum with a body traditionally forged in iron by Agaria metalworkers, the Gond community's hereditary smiths. Animal hide is stretched over the mouth and a paste locally called 'gad', made from banana and tree resin, is applied at the centre and sun-dried to tune the sound. The instrument is worn at the neck so the player can move, and it never plays alone: dafli, timki, mandar and shehnai complete the ensemble. Its use is not decorative — the community plays it for household purification, at weddings and engagements, and in grief as well as celebration. Troupes from the Dindori region have carried the Gudum Baja dance to Republic Day and international cultural stages.

State PCS 2026 Q64 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2026 Q64 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer