Arjun Singh Dhurve
A retired teacher from Dindori, the first postgraduate of the Baiga tribe, who popularised Baiga song and dance; Padma Shri, 2022.
Arjun Singh Dhurwey is a folk dancer and retired teacher from Dindori district who has made the songs and dances of the Baiga tribe widely known. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of art, from Madhya Pradesh [1].
Teacher and dancer
Dhurwey was born on 12 August 1953 [2]. He earned a BEd and an MA in sociology, becoming the first postgraduate from the Baiga tribe [2]. He started as an assistant teacher on 19 November 1976, became a head teacher in 2008 and retired in 2015 [2].
Baiga Pardhauni
The Pardhauni is the main dance of the Baiga, performed with masks of peacocks, elephants and horses [2]. With his troupe, Dhurwey has danced it across Madhya Pradesh and beyond [2]. They performed in the Republic Day parade in 2005 and again with 200 students in 2006, and gave performances at the residences of President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [2].
Since 1992 he has been recording Baiga songs such as karma, dadaria, faag and birha for All India Radio, Jabalpur [2]. The Madhya Pradesh government gave him its Tulsi Samman for his work as a Baiga dancer and singer [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2022: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2022: citation for Arjun Singh Dhurve — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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