Kullu Natti all set to enter Guinness Book

Tribune News Service

Kullu, October 17

Kullu Natti is all set to enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest folk dance in the world. The London office of the Guinness Book has given its approval to the preparations and arrangements made by the District Kullu Dussehra Committee for the attempt of the largest folk dance in the world, said DC Rakesh Kanwar here today.

He said the folk dance was dedicated to the theme of the girlchild and the participants would take a pledge to work for the cause.

“More than 13,000 participants — both women and men — have registered for the dance. They will come to Dhalpur grounds on October 26, dressed in traditional attire, to make this a world record and showcase the rich cultural heritage of Kullu,” the DC said.

“Since there is no prior category or record related to the folk dance, any number of participation will create the record, but our aim is to make a record that is difficult to break,” he added.

He said the Guinness Book had strict norms. They had asked for the detailed ground plan, entry and exit points, enumeration of participants, video recording of the event and still photography.

The norms required every single participant to carry/wear a bar-coded ticket that would be read by computerised software to ensure accurate registration of each and every participant. Further, as per the requirement, KPMG, an independent international audit firm, had been engaged to audit the attempt.

More than 20 cameras, including drone cameras, would take aerial shots which need to be sent as evidence to the authorities, he said, adding that all participants, stewards and volunteers would get a certificate once the formal approval from the Guinness Book would be received, he said.

A team of more than 350 stewards would supervise groups of 50 dancers each and would certify their participation. In addition, hundreds of volunteers would provide their services to the participants.

He further said the mascot of ‘Pride of Kullu’, a girl in traditional dress, designed by Gitesh Gupta, a designer from Kullu, had already been launched. The Dussehra committee would now launch merchandise to promote the cause of the girlchild. Mugs, fridge magnets, stickers for the notebooks of the students and T-shirts would be available with the mascot of the event. The merchandise would be on sale during Dussehra. Already advance booking had started for these items through the Facebook page of Pride of Kullu, he said.

More than 60 buses will run on over 120 routes to bring the participants to the venue. There will be proper arrangements for the participants as water, food packets and emergency care will be available in the Rath Ground. Duty magistrates, police officers and a large number of women police and home guards will be deployed to make this event secure for the women.

The DC appreciated the officers and staff of the Integrated Child Development Programme, especially anganwadi workers, helpers and schools, for registering the participants and for being the torch bearers of the event. “With this attempt, not only Kullu Natti, but also local dress, jewellery, folk songs and music will be recognised on the world stage,” he said.

Last year, 8,540 folk dancers performed Natti at Dhalpur grounds in Kullu during the Dussehra festival.