In this blog, I write about my encounter with the indigenous tribes of the Araku Valley in South India and their popular folk dance, Dhimsa. I further go on to share 4 valuable lessons on visiting different people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Diverse experiences in life teach us the diverse meanings that it offers us. Travelling for me has thus become a medium to understand development, people and culture by experiencing and having a taste of different places on this one beautiful planet. As a responsible and aware visitor – tourist, researcher, or explorer, the best way to understand a place, its people, and culture is to ‘be like a local’. If we form perceptions and perspectives based on our ‘outsider lens’, it will be very difficult for us to build some warm connections that could last a lifetime.
India is home to rich cultural diversity, amazing places and warm-hearted people. My journey to the unexplored Araku Valley (in Visakhapatnam district) in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has been one of the most spectacular ones. Surrounded by hills and green valleys, dense forests and foggy clouds, the place is a perfect escape for people who reside in urban jungles.
Witnessing and experiencing the Dhimsa folk dance
One afternoon, I visited the Araku Tribal Museum and experienced a world that was so different from mine. Being a North Indian and belonging to a different culture, I knew I had lots to see and learn. The museum showcased the traditional art, handicrafts, ornaments, food and textiles used by the indigenous tribes. Luckily, there was a dance show in the museum that evening. Dhimsa – a dance form that originated in the Koraput district in Odisha, but has become a popular folk dance of its neighbouring state, Andhra Pradesh. This dance form has become prevalent in the Araku valley in Visakhapatnam.
Performed by the Porja tribe of Andhra Pradesh, the folk dance is ritualistic in nature as it is done to honour the deities and pray for peace and welfare.
Dhimsa dance form is an expressive dance that is dominated by the movements of hands and feet of the group performing (typically around 15-20 women) the dance in a circle. Though this dance can be performed by both men and women.
When I reached the dance venue, I smiled at the women who were getting ready for the dance performance. A beautiful simple yellow saree, some traditional jewellery and happy faces.
I walked up to them and asked if I could take a picture with them. They agreed, asked for some money and invited me to join their dance performance. The woman sitting next to me asked me to keep my hand on her shoulder (as seen in the featured picture of the blog). My experiences of travelling and meeting different people, especially those who are culturally very different from us, has taught me some important lessons that I am sharing below.
1. Greet people (the locals) with a warm smile
Not everyone’s going to be friendly or smile back at you, but it is still better to meet people with a warm smile rather than some cold gestures. Greet people in their local language, and if that’s too much (which should not be), say a friendly hello.
2. Respect them – their customs and culture
It is always a good idea to observe people and embrace their diversity. Respecting them goes a long way. The world is a family, but one with very different people residing under the same sky. One must never mock local people and definitely not showcase superiority over them. Respect people. Respect their customs and cultures. Respect the differences.
3. ‘Ask’ for pictures, do not intrude in their space
I agree that it’s your own camera in your hand, but you should agree too that the objects, people and places in the photographs you are clicking do not belong to you. We need to learn to be polite and ask people for pictures or any other favours.
4. Try to learn a new thing
It’s always great to learn new things. Even greater would be learning something new from the places we travel to and the people we meet. Be it just a small dance move, or a local song to sing, different language, clothing styles or simply anything you like. Personally, this has always helped me connect more with people and build relationships that I nurture even today.
Working in the development sector, doing research and learning about people across continents has taught me to be more open, accepting, flexible and understanding towards others who live a very different life, one of which I’m not very aware of. So, which place are you planning to visit next and what do you look forward to learning?
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