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India is a land of rich cultural heritage where music and dance have been at the forefront from ancient times. Human beings have an urge to celebrate socially after routine, repetitive hard work or after an achievement that is well-deserved in the interest of the society.

Music and dance are the means of expressing human emotions and are an integral part of social and religious festivals. They are a means of filling the void in the lives of people, formed due to many unpleasant events. Through music and dance, people convey their joy, sorrow, achievements, and highlight any problems in such a way that the message captivates the attention of larger section of the society. They have been an integral part of most of the traditional Hindu festivals from centuries and highlight the literary excellence, culture, dress and language of the masses.

Music and dance encourage and nurtures people from different fields such as poets, musical instrumentalists, make-up artists, vocalists, and choreographers by bringing them at one place on the stage. Thus, skilled artisans from different fields can showcase their talent before the members of the society and gain their applause.

In ancient India, music and dance was considered divine, with its knowledge imparted to human beings directly by the gods. Ancient sculptures depict the idols of god and goddesses either dancing or playing musical instruments. Therefore, the intricacies and rigid rules of presentation of music and dance was learnt by disciples from their teachers or gurus with great devotion, respect and discipline, and exhibited in temples as a service to Gods. Lord Shiva in the form of "Nataraja" is considered the king of dancers. The cosmic dance form of Shiva embodies the creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe.

The major classical dance forms that have originated in different parts of India are Bhartnatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Kathakali (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Mohiniattam (Kerala), and Odissi (Orissa). In addition, there are folk dances such as Chauu, Garba, Bhanghra, etc., and tribal dances that are performed during marriages, at the arrival of new season and as part of various rituals and ceremonies.

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* Contributed by: -
Manoj Kumar Joshi,
Faculty Associate,
ICFAI University, Hyderabad.