The tableau presented by Arunachal Pradesh at the 68th Republic Day parade in New Delhi’s Rajpath bagged the first prize beating all other states and union territories. Tripura’s tableau based on ‘Hojagiri’ dance, depicting the magnificent Reang tribal dance was adjudged the second best.
The tableau from Arunachal Pradesh showcased its famous Yak dance – one of the most famous traditions of the Mahayana sect of Buddhist tribes. The tableau was a depiction of an ancient tale of family and a yak which solved the problems of the family and signifies the presence of ‘health, wealth and happiness’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYog7J-8C2E
Announcing this, Arunachal Pradesh DIPR wrote on Facebook: “This is a matter of great joy not only for the members of the cultural troupe from Tawang but also our IPR art and exhibition team and officers. A lot of brainstorming, research, planning, design, model preparation and practice had gone into the grand outcome. This is the outcome of our collective effort and hard work.”
The famous Yak dance mesmerised the audience at Rajpath where guests included the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zahed Al Nayhan as chief guest, the President of India, Indian Prime Minister and a host of top dignitaries.
The selection came after several rounds of meeting held by the ministry of defence, involving various stages of elimination. An expert committee comprising 10-15 members was appointed by the ministry to choose the tableaux amongst all the states and to suggest various modifications and changes to the selected states.
In the first round, Arunachal presented five themes- Battle of Kekar Monying, Yak dance, Nyokum Yullo, carpet making and Murung festival. The expert committee zeroed in on the Yak dance.
