Friday, July 10, 2015

Dalkhai is the Famous folk song of sambalpur.

Dalkhai is the most popular folk-dance in western odisha.Its performance is very common on all other festivals such as Bhaijiuntia, Phagu Pune, Nuakhai, etc. This is mostly danced by young women of Binjhal, Kuda, Mirdha, Sama and some other tribes of Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sundargarh and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha in which men join them as drummers and musicians. 

The dance is accompanied by a rich orchestra of folk music played by a number of instruments known as Dhol, Nisan (a typical giant sized drum made of iron case), Tamki (a tiny one sided drum 6" in diameter played by two sticks), Tasa (an one sided drum) and Mahuri. However, the Dhol player controls the tempo while dancing in front of the girls.


It is known as Dalkhai because in the beginning and end of every stanza the word is used as an address to a girl friend. The love story of Radha and Krishna, the episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, the description of natural scenery are represented through the songs.

The young women dance and sing intermittently. The songs are of special variety with the additive 'Dalkhai Go' which is an address to a girlfriend. While dancing to the uncanny rhythms of the Dhol, they place the legs close together and bend the knees.

The women generally dress themselves in colourful Sambalpuri Saris and wear a scarf on the shoulders holding the ends below in both the hands. Bedecked with traditional jewellery, their robust frames sustain the strains of the dance for long hours.



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