Coffee table book on Gussadi dance form released in Adilabad
Gussadi dance is performed during Dandari festival, an important cultural affair of ethnic tribes living in Adilabad district
Adilabad: The district administration has brought out a coffee table book on Gussadi, a dance form of aboriginal tribal or Adivasis of Adilabad district, with the objective of spreading the tribal culture.
Gussadi dance is performed during Dandari festival, an important cultural affair of ethnic tribes living in Adilabad district. The department’s commissioner Divya Devarajan roped in renowned Hyderabad-based documentary filmmaker Jennifer Alphonsse to capture photographs of Gussadi, when she was working as Collector of Adilabad in 2019.
The book titled Gussadi, Celebration of Being God, features outstanding photographs of Dandari festival, detailing each stage of the dance form.
Cover page of the coffee table book
“Dandari-Gussadi speaks volumes about the belief system and ways of life of tribal communities. It has become evident that urbanisation is reshaping these areas faster and more dramatically than ever before. Hence, it is crucial to preserve their traditions. District administration initiated this project to document the ways in which these tribes strived to retain these traditions and customs till date,” Divya opined in her message about the book.
She dedicated the book to the people of Adilabad. “I hope that this book will be a visual treat and more relevant than ever before as traditions such as Gussadi remind us to live in harmony and celebrate life as a gift of nature,” she mentioned in the message. She was all praise for Jennifer for recording breathtaking photos and for documenting the festival.
“We tried to capture the dance form performed by a selected few. The photographs are primarily from a close candid study done in the tribal village of Indervelli, Keslapur and many other parts of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA)-Utnoor. Every image and every page is an unraveling of the Gond’s tradition and devotion through the beginning of the festival till its conclusion,” Jennifer told ‘Telangana Today.’
The documentary film stated that the readers and artistes recorded in the work would cherish the book and feel proud about who they are and what their true identity is. They will continue to teach their future generations and also the students of the world about the wonders of their traditions and ways of living, she added.
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