Lucknow: 200 women dancers from hills seek Guinness berth

LUCKNOW: On the first day of 'Uttarakhand Mahotsav' at Govind Ballabh Bhai Pant Sanskriti Upvan on Wednesday, about 200 women dressed up in Uttarakhandi attires performed folk dance 'Jhora' in a bid to get a spot in the Guinness Book of World Record.
A total 15 teams of women from different areas of the city, including Vikasnagar, Aloknagar, Telibagh, Kalyanpur, Neelmatha, Kurmanchal Nagar and Khargapur, participated in the feat, wearing traditional dress like Rangwali Pichhaura, nath, galoban (neck ring) and Johaari dress.
Hema Bisht, a performer and team leader from Kalyanpur, said, "I was born in Lucknow, but my parents were from Uttarakhand. We have 20 women's groups who practised for two hours daily to set the record."
"I have got a chance to wear our traditional dress after a long time. I am a school teacher and whenever I get time I rehearse. My family will be proud of me if we make the record," said Meena Adhikari, another performer from Kurmanchal nagar.
"We have sent all the proceedings to the 'Guinness Book of World Records'. Result will be out soon," said Rajesh Bisht, organiser of the dance and secretary of Uttarakhand Mahaparishad.
BJP MP from Prayagraj, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who inaugurated the Mahotsav, said everyone should respect her/his culture and take inspiration from the people who contribute in preserving their cultures. She also recalled the contribution made by her father Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna as UP CM in development of hill state and environment conservation. On the first day of the festival, various musical programmes were held. Visitors were seen enjoying and performing Chholiya dance, one of the famous dances of Uttarakhand.
"Jhora and dance performance were the centre of attraction for me. I have immensely enjoyed and learned something about different cultural songs and performance," said Abhishek ojha, a visitor.