Important GK for AISSEE // Art and Culture of India // Important Questions for Sainik School Admission // कला और संस्‍कृति // सैनिक स्‍कूल प्रवेश परीक्षा महत्‍वपूर्ण प्रश्‍न //Art and Culture (Music, Classical and Folk Dance); Renowned Personalities, Instrumental and Vocal Music, Major Dance Forms

Culture

Culture refers to a human-made environment which includes all the material and non- material products of group life that are transmitted from one generation to the next. These may be transmitted through symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiment as artifacts. The essential core of culture thus lies in those finer ideas, by means of which people communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and express their attitudes toward life.

Dance 

In traditional Indian culture the function of dance was to give symbolic expression to religious ideas. 

Classical Dance

These dance forms are based on ancient dance discipline and have rigid rules of presentation. Few of them are BharataNatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Odissi.

Forms of Classical dance

1. Bharata Natyam (Tamil Nadu)

The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance. It traces its origins back to the Natyashastra written by Bharata. Instruments use in Bharatnatyam are Mridangam, Violin, Veena, Flute and Talam.

2. Kathakali (Kerala)

The word Kathakali literally means "Story-Play". Kathakali is known for its heavy, elaborate makeup and costumes. The dancers wear large head dresses, and the different colors of the face are extended with moulded lime. Instruments use in Kathakali are Chenda, Maddalam, Cymbals and Ela taalam.

3. Kathak (North India)

Katha, meaning "the art of storytelling." It is performed by both men and women. Lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur are recognized as the three schools. Instruments use in Kathak are Pakwaj, Tabla, Harmonium, Sarengi and Talam (cymbals).

4. Manipuri (Manipur)

The most striking part of Manipur dance is its colorful decoration, lightness of dancing foot, delicacy of abhinaya (drama), smooth and graceful movements. The Lai Haroba, a ritualistic dance depicting the Creation, is considered the precursor of Manipuri as seen today. Instruments used in Manipuri are Pung and cymbals.

5. Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)

Kuchipudi exhibits scenes from the Hindu Epics, legends and mythological tales through a combination of music, dance and acting. Traditionally the dance was performed by men, even the female roles, although now it is predominantly performed by women. Instruments used in Kuchipudi are Mridangam, Violin, Veena, Flute and Talam.

6. Odissi (Odisha)

It is predominantly a dance for women, with postures that replicate those found in temple sculptures. Odissi has two major facets: (1) Nritta (2) Abhinaya. Instruments use in Odissi are Pakwaj, table, harmonium, flute and cymbals.

7. Sattriya (Assam)

Sattriya Nritya was usually performed in the Sattras (Assam monasteries) in a highly ritualistic manner by male dancers alone. Both solo and group numbers enrich its presentation. The dresses are usually made of pat, a type of silk produced in Assam.

8. Mohiniattam (Kerala)

The name Mohiniattyam literally means ' dance of the Enchantress'. Apart from mythology, Mohiniattam perform on the themes from nature. Mohiniattyam was female orientated art form only female were supposed to perform but at present male also practicing and performing.

Folk Dance

Indian folk dances are practiced in the rural areas and performed during the religious or seasonal festivals. Some of the most popular folk dances region-wise performed across the India are as under :- 

1. Chhau dance :  Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal

2. Kalbella : Rajasthan

3. Dumhal : Jammu and Kashmir

4. Hikat & Namagen : Himachal Pradesh

5. Chholiya : Uttarakhand

6. Bangra : Punjab

7. Gaur : Madhya Pradesh

8. Karma Dance : Chattisgarh

9. Padayani : Kerala

10. Kummi and Kolattam : Tamil Nadu

11. Naga Dances : Nagaland

12. Bihu : Assam

13. Nongkrem : Meghalaya

14. Thang-ta & Dhol –Cholom : Manipur

15. Lahoor : Haryana

16. Dollu Kunitha : Karnataka

17. Lava Dance : Lakshadweep

18. Lavani : Maharashtra

Music 

Music in India is the reflection of the diverse elements - racial, linguistic and cultural. It plays a vital role in the religious, social and artistic life of the heterogeneous population of the country. Today there are two systems of classical music: the Hindustani and the Carnatic. Carnatic music is confined to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The classical music of the rest of the country goes under the name, Hindustani Classical Music.

Types of Hindustani Music and its meaning

Dhrupad : Effort from vocal chords and lungs

Dhamar : Play of Krishna during holy

Khayal : Delicate, romantic and based on imagination.

Thumri : Romantic religious literature

Tappa : Quick turn of phase

Bhajan : Religious devotional songs

Tarana : Syllables stung together to set a rhythm

Sabadas : Sikh religious songs

Qawali : Indo- Muslim repertories of songs in groups.

Ghazal : Independent couplets on love and devotion

Renowned Personalities associated with Instrumental and Vocal Music

Musical Instruments	Person
Santoor	Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Bhajan Sopori
Flute	Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pannalal Ghosh
Tabla	Zakir Hussain, Allah Rakha, Sabir Khan, Pt. Kishan Maharaj, Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Sandeep Das
Sarod	Allauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, Buddhadev Das Gupta
Shehnai	Bismillah Khan, Krishna Ram Chaudhary, Ali Ahmad Hussain
Sitar	Pt Ravi Shankar, Shahid Parvez Khan, Budhaditya Mukherjee, Anushka Shankar
Saarangi	Shakoor Khan, Pt Ram Narayan, Ramesh Mishra, Sultan Khan
Veena	Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, Ayyagari Syamasundaram, Doraiswamy Iyengar
Rudra Veena	Asad Ali Khan
Mohan Veena	Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhat (inventor of Mohan Veena)
Violin	M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Smt M. Rajam, N.R. Muralidharan, M. Chandrasekharan, V.G. Jog, Lalgudi Jayaraman
Ghatam	T.H. Vinayakram, E.M. Subramaniam
Mridangam	K.V. Prasad, S.V. Rajarao, Umalayapuram Sivaraman
Mandolin	U Srinivas
Pakhawaj	Totaram Sharma
Surbahaar	Annapurna Devi
Guitar	Braj Bhushan Kabra
Vocalist (Carnatic Music)	S. Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer, M.S. Subbulakshmi, M. Balamuralikrishna, D. K. Pattammal, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, S Pinakapani
Vocalist (Hindustani Music)	Kumar Gandharva, Mallikarjun Bheemarayappa Mansur, Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Gangubai Hangal, Kishori Amonkar, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar, Chhannu Lal Mishra, Ramakant Gundecha, Umakant Gundecha, Rajan and Sajan Mishra

Types of Musical Instruments 

Wind Instrument : Any musical instrument that uses air as the primary vibrating medium for the production of sound.

Percussion Instrument : A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument.

String Instruments : String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.

Wind Instruments	Percussion Instruments	String Instruments
Flute	Tabla	Guitar
Clarinet	Mridungam	Violin
Shehnai	Drum	Sitar
Saxophone	Dholak	Banjo
Bagpipe	Cymbal	Sarod
Harmonica	Xylophone	Saarangi
Trumpet	Ghatam	Veena
Piano	Pakhawaj	Surbahaar
Harp	Bells	Mandolin