Bedabrata lahkar
AIZAWL, March 12 – Mizoram today danced to glory creating a new Guinness Record in Bamboo dance popularly known here as Cheraw dance. A total of 10,736 performers including 5368 girls and an equal number of boys set the record by dancing to rhythmic tunes of the traditional dance which is in vogue in varying forms in several countries in South East Asia as well.
There were 4096 performers in the Assam Rifles Ground, the main venue where the attempt for the record was made at 2 pm today under the watchful eyes of the Guinness Book of Record Adjudicator Lucia Sinigagliesi. The rest of the 6,640 dancers and bamboo beaters were spread over a stretch of 3 kms of the city’s main roads as the Assam Rifles Ground could accommodate only about 4,000 dancers.
The people came out in thousands to the Ground besides lining up along the streets to cheer the dancers and witness history being created. Several Ministers, top officilas and dignitaries were present at the function.
“This will go down in the record book as largest bamboo dance ensemble. I am hopeful it will get into the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, which is in under compilation,” said Sinigagliesi.
An elated Art and Culture Minister PC Zoram Sangliana expressed confidence that the new record set by Mizoram will help the State immensely in attracting tourists in their thousands from within the country and abroad. The Adjudicator later handed over the Record certficate to the Art and Culture Minister to the thunderous applause of the crowd.
The record came just a day after the State celebrated Chapchar Kut, the most important traditional festival of the Mizos.
There was a riot of colours as the mostly young girl dancers attired in colourful traditional costumes performed for eight minutes as stipulated by the Guinness Book of Records. The Director of Art and Culture department Boichhingpuii told newsmen that the organisers had approved eight different sets of costumes for the girls to add colour to the grand spectacle.
The Cheraw dance was performed in the earlier times only to ensure safe passage for the soul of a woman who died at child birth. It is, therefore, a dance of sanctification and redemption. However, nowadays, Cheraw is performed on any occasion. It is also performed on the occasion of Chapcharkut festival.
The idea to create the new record was inspired by the Guinness Book of Records for biggest drum ensemble of over 5000 drummers set by Meghalaya in 1996, Boichhingpuii informed. The Government of Mizoram came out with full support to the event sanctioning Rs. 50 lakhs for the expenditure involved.
A lot of organising and technical skills were involved in the mammoth event. With the performance spread out over 3 kms, 42 horns backed by 95,000 watts of sound system, had to be strategically placed on the streets so that the dancers could dance simultaneously to the same beat.
Today’s record set by Mizoram comes after two other musical records set by Meghalaya in drum and guitar ensembles in 1996 and 1997.
