More than 13,000 tribal schoolgirls lined up in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, 1 August 2026 to perform the traditional Dhimsa folk dance in honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — a display that Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called a historic record for India's tribal heritage.

Rijiju posted on X: 'Bharat ke janjatiya gaurav ka aitihasik record!' ('A historic record of India's tribal pride!'), saying the mass performance in Andhra Pradesh created a new benchmark for showcasing the country's rich tribal culture under the banner of #EkBharatShreshthaBharat.

What is Dhimsa — and why it matters here

The Dhimsa is a vibrant folk dance rooted in the tribal communities of the Eastern Ghats — particularly among the Bagata and related groups of Andhra Pradesh and parts of Odisha. Performed traditionally at harvest festivals and community celebrations, it is characterised by rhythmic footwork, colourful costumes, and large group formations — making it visually arresting at scale.

Deploying it as a welcome for the Prime Minister places it squarely within a pattern the central government has cultivated: elevating regional tribal art forms as symbols of a unified national identity, not peripheral folk curiosities.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat — the scheme behind the spectacle

The event carries the hashtag of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, the cultural-integration initiative launched in 2015 to encourage state-to-state exchanges and mass cultural performances. The scheme has been a recurring vehicle for events of exactly this kind — large, student-led demonstrations of regional heritage during high-visibility official visits.

Andhra Pradesh has a substantial Scheduled Tribe population concentrated in the Eastern Ghats belt, and the choice of a tribal dance form — rather than a classical or mainstream Andhra tradition — signals a deliberate emphasis on that community's visibility during the PM's visit.

Rijiju's tribal advocacy in focus

As Minister of Minority Affairs and a BJP leader from Arunachal Pradesh — itself one of India's most tribally diverse states — Rijiju has consistently positioned tribal cultural preservation as a political and policy priority. His amplification of this event fits a broader ministerial posture: using high-profile moments to assert that tribal identity is central, not incidental, to the national story.

Whether the performance sets an official record — as the post claims — has not been independently verified. But the political signal is unmistakable: at a moment when the Centre is keen to demonstrate inclusive outreach ahead of future electoral cycles, 13,000 girls dancing in formation is a number designed to be remembered.

The question now is whether this cultural spectacle translates into sustained policy attention for Andhra Pradesh's tribal districts — or remains a striking image from a single afternoon.