Folk music of Northeast / D. C. Sharma

Includes bibliographies and index

Northeast India comprises of eight states, which includes the state of Sikkim and the seven sister states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. Folk dances in these states are often performed during festivals or to celebrate life. Dance is an important aspect in the lives of people living in this part of the country and hence many age-old dance forms are still practiced and kept alive. Let us now have a look at different folk dances of Northeast India. Folk dances, musics and songs are an ingrained part of Sikkimese culture. Most of the cultural dances related to the amazing beauty of the natural surroundings, some signifies the harvest season and others are performed for welfare. Many of the musical instruments that accompany the dances are unique to Sikkim. Almost all the dances are accompanied by the musical instruments. Tribal and folk music is not taught in the same way that Indian classical music is taught. There is no formal period of apprenticeship where the student is able to devote their entire life to learning the music, the economics of rural life does not permit this sort of thing. The musical practitioners must still attend to their normal duties of hunting, agriculture or whatever their chosen profession is. Folk-music of the Northeast impresses the mind.