TY - BOOK AU - Waswo, Waswo X. TI - Gauri Dancers SN - 9789385360725 U1 - ARTS PY - 2020/// CY - Ahmedabad PB - Mapin Publishing KW - Art KW - Dance KW - Gauri dance KW - India KW - Oriental art KW - Photographs KW - Religious traditions KW - Tribal community N1 - The first book of its kind to shed light on the tradition of Gauri dance - Featuring hand-painted photographic prints Gauri (also known as Gavri or Gavari) is celebrated by tribal communities in the southern part of Rajasthan as a forty-day festival that entails fasting and celebration in honour of Lord Shiva and his consort, the Goddess Parvati. Public performances put on as part of the revelry include dance, storytelling, music and worship. The tradition of the Gauri dance has been celebrated for centuries, yet there have been no books in English till now on this mystical and enchanting practice. Photographer Waswo X. Waswo has joined with art historian Sonika Soni to create this book that delves into the esoteric world of Gauri dance. Through Waswo's distinctive studio portraiture, with the photographic prints hand-painted by hand-colorist Rajesh Soni, the astonishing visuals of Gauri costuming and performers is presented in beautiful color reproduction. In her essay, Sonika Soni explores the history of this ritual dance with an eye to examine both what is known about it, and what still needs to be discovered, keeping central the conflicting stories of its origins and the folk tales that make Gauri the enigmatic opera of Mewar ER -