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About type of art
Mewasi Dance Engagement Chandla Dance Vasava Tribe
Name of Tribal Dance Mewasi Dance Engagement Chandla Dance
Name of Tribe Vasava Tribe
Name of Performers with mobile Numbers Mr. Revjibhai Dumbhel
Team Leader, Mobile No. 9913319871, 9727993892
Meaning Significance
The Vasava Bhil tribe dwells exclusively in the Narmada and Bharuch districts. The area of Naswadi, Sankheda, Tilakwada talukas of Narmada district is considered as region of Mewas. The region of the Mewas of the Narmada is a region of dense forests, hills and rivers. There are several types of tribal culture observed. Narmada district is also called the region of Mewas as it is the confluence of Narmada, Orsang and Heran rivers Vasava Bhil tribe, Dungra Bhil tribe and Tadvi Bhil tribe have significant population in this area of Mewas. Social, cultural and religious of these three tribes share all kinds of cultural and artistic heritage.
Mewasi dance is a socio-cultural dance of the Vasava Bhil tribe. Mevasi dance is also known as Sagai-Chandla (Engagement) dance. In the Vasava Bhil tribe, the family in which the boy and girl are to be engaged perform Mevasi dance or Sagai-Chandla dance to express happiness, joy, and love. They expresses that there is an occasion of happiness, joy and hilarity in his family.
Mewasi dance is very popular among Vasava tribe. The region of Mewas is reason behind the name of this dance as Mevasi dance. As it is the confluence of three different types of rivers, the confluence of three different regions and inhabited by three different types of tribes, it stands out as the region of Mewas in particular. Besides Narmada, Vasava tribe also lives exclusively in Bharuch district. Their main occupation is agriculture. Along with agriculture they are engaged in animal husbandry. This tribe is a socially, culturally, economically, professionally and politically developed tribe, der
The Mevasi dance is called the Sagai Chandla dance. The meaning of this dance is that Narmada district is the confluence of three regions, three tribes, and three rivers and as this dance express for the joy of boy, girl marriage engagement, it is also specially known as Sagai Chandla dance along with Mevasi dance. Mewasi dance is performed with traditional dress and musical instruments.
Mewasi dance reflects the social, cultural and geographical uniqueness of the Vasava tribes habitat. Purpose behind performing this dance by the Vasava tribe when there is a joyous occasion of engagement-chandla in the family of this tribe, this dance is performed as a symbol as boy-girl love and with symbol of families joy. In this dance boys and girls, along with family members of both parties, guests, villagers etc. all perform this dance expressing joy, elan, happiness and love for the occasion.
Performance Context
Mewasi dance is very popular among the people of Vasava Bhil tribe. The people of this for tribe perform the Mewasi dance an expression of their social, cultural and religious aspects and to represent their cultural and artistic heritage. Mewasi dance seems to represent the socio-cultural-religious life of the Vasava Bhil tribe. Mevasi dance consists of 22 members. In this dance, 15 men and 07 women dance together. This dance is especially performed when the boy-girl engagement is decided and on a day of ceremony. After the completion of the Chandla Sagai engagement ritual, boys and girls with family members, guests, villagers perform the Mevasi dance and Lagai-Chandla dance with full of enthusiasm to express their sense of happiness and joy.
A boy expresses his love for a girl he likes by singing the following song.
A............a....hey........
In Savlis field, Bhunda pig eats sticky rice
A............a....hey........
bhunda dorva ja chase away pig ...
A............a....hey........
It is dark.
There is evil in the yard.
Jane re savli. go savli go.....
Bhunda dorva ja chase away pig ...
Costumes and Jewellery
Mevasi dance is a symbol of the social and cultural art heritage of the Vasava Bhil tribe. Like in this dance, men wear traditional dress dhoti, shirt, and veil on waist, turban on head, handkerchief and cymbal in hand. Their dhoti is white in colour. The shirt is yellow. The veil is green or red in colour. Turbans are mostly white, sometimes they wear coloured turbans. He also keeps a red or green handkerchief in his hand. During the Mevasi dance, men wear traditional dress like this. While the women are performing the Mewasi dance with vest coat kabjo, ghaghra long skirt, veil and two handkerchiefs in their hands. Womens vest coat kabjo and Ghaghra are mostly blue in colour, sometimes both vest coat kabjo and ghaghra are green. The veil is red in colour. Keeps the handkerchief colourful. Thus during the Mewasi dance men and women dances in traditional manner.
Women wear special ornaments in the Mevasi dance. Men do not wear any articles of gold, silver or pearl necklaces. Mevasi dancing women perform Mevasi dance or Sagai Chandla dance by wearing ornaments like bindi on head, silver necklace around neck, anklet bells on feet, bangles on hand etc.
Costumes and Jewellery
Mevasi dance is a symbol of the social and cultural art heritage of the Vasava Bhil tribe. Like in this dance, men wear traditional dress dhoti, shirt, and veil on waist, turban on head, handkerchief and cymbal in hand. Their dhoti is white in colour. The shirt is yellow. The veil is green or red in colour. Turbans are mostly white, sometimes they wear coloured turbans. He also keeps a red or green handkerchief in his hand. During the Mevasi dance, men wear traditional dress like this. While the women are performing the Mewasi dance with vest coat kabjo, ghaghra long skirt, veil and two handkerchiefs in their hands. Womens vest coat kabjo and Ghaghra are mostly blue in colour, sometimes both vest coat kabjo and ghaghra are green. The veil is red in colour. Keeps the handkerchief colourful. Thus during the Mewasi dance men and women dances in traditional manner.
Women wear special ornaments in the Mevasi dance. Men do not wear any articles of gold, silver or pearl necklaces. Mevasi dancing women perform Mevasi dance or Sagai Chandla dance by wearing ornaments like bindi on head, silver necklace around neck, anklet bells on feet, bangles on hand etc.
Music and Instruments
The Mewasi dance performed by the Vasava tribe consists of 30 to 35 chalas dances. It takes 30 to 45 minutes for them to introduce all these chalas. Only if they get enough time to perform, they can perform all the chalas steps systematically. Often if time is short they perform this dance by reducing the chalas steps Different types of chalas are represented in the Mewasi dance. Among these chalas are pyramid, camel chala, horse chala, fourth floor lock etc. Mewasi dance is performed by presenting these chala
In the Mevasi dance, when the musical instruments are played, it brings a different perception of this dance. The music of these instruments makes the dance more interesting. This dance uses musical instruments like big dhol, sharnai clarinet, kirtal cymbals, thali percussion instrument Gong bell, trasa tha gong bell type etc. Dancers are provided with the passion to dance by these musical instruments. According to the type of rhythm and with music performed this dance, they perform different chalas. The uniqueness of Mevasi or Sagai Chandla dance is the dress worn by the dance troupe, the music Taal, beats played by the instruments and the different chalas performed by the dance troupe. In this way Mevasi dance or Sagai Chandla dance is performed by the people of Vasava tribe. In the Vasava tribe, along with Mevasi or Sagai-Chandla dance, they also perform Haleni, Timli and Dhol dance. These dances are very popular among the Vasava tribe and other tribal tribes. They perform these dances at different times during festivals, weddings, socio cultural religious events and on the occasion of celebration of the completion of rituals.
In Mewasi dance various musical instruments like dholak, sharnai, kirtal, thali, thrash thala etc. Are used These dholaks are made from sadad timber and teak wood. When the timber and teak wood is green, it is gradually shaped into a drum. Leather of cow, buffalo, goat or deer is used for manufacturing of dholak. Paddy pulp and black ash are used for pasting wood and leather. Small strings and links are used to tighten the leather so that the sound comes out of the drum properly. A medium thick string is tied around the dholak players neck to hold the dholak. This cord is very strong. The sharnai clarinet they play with the dholak is made of brass and wood. Holes buttons are kept at some distance to remove the sur from the sharnai. In the Mewasi dance, men wears small anklets. This ghughri small jingling bells is made from brass metal. Anklets can be easily attached to the feet by knotting leather or cotton cords. The men wear a large ghugra jingling bell belt around the waist. These large bell anklets are made from brass metal. A leather or cotton cord is knotted with these ghugras jingling bells to form a ghughra belt, which is worn by men around the waist. Along with this they use thali kind of gong bell and thrash thala as musical instruments. It is made from brass metal. A small bamboo stick is used for stir the thali. Thus, the people of Vasava Bhil tribe use various musical instruments like dholak drum, sharnai clarinet, kirtal cymbals, thali, thrash thala etc. to perform Mewasi dance.