A ‘Gussadi’ tribal dance performance by the Raj Gonds of the Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district of Telangana and a ‘Kommu Koya’ performance by the Koya tribe of Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, showcased the cultural diversity thriving along the River Godavari in South India, at the 5th National Tribal Dance Festival in Chintoor of Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
The festival, Rela Pandoom, kick-started on the banks of River Sabari. Adivasi Samkshema Parishad (ASP), an association comprising various walks of tribes of Andhra Pradesh, is conducting the festival.
Addressing the gathering, ASP General Secretary Sunnam Venkata Ramana said: “The dance festival stresses the need to protect the cultural diversity of the tribes being displaced in the Godavari region due to the Polavaram irrigation project.”
“The uniqueness of the Polavaram project area is that it is a confluence of the tribal cultures of the four States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The displaced tribes of Koyas and Konda Reddis will be driven out from their cultural confluence point once the Polavaram project is commissioned. It is a sad reality”, said Mr. Venkata Ramana.
The Koya tribal elders appealed to the younger generations not to give up their cultural roots.
