Mosak Sulmani

Understand

Where Mosak Sulmani comes from

Mosak Sulmani is the Mog (Marma) community-dance of Tripura. The Mog (also called Marma) people are a tribal community of Tripura, originally from the Arakan (Myanmar) region, who settled in Tripura over several centuries. The community has its own dance and song traditions (the mosak sulmani, the khullam, the kadam and others) which are part of the Mog cultural identity. The form is one of the most distinctive regional traditions of the Mog community and is regularly performed at the cultural programmes of Tripura and at the regional Mog community gatherings.

How it's practiced

Mosak Sulmani is performed by men and women of the Mog community in a circle at the central courtyard of the village or at the open ground of the regional festival. The men and women perform in coordinated steps to the song of the Mosak Sulmani cycle and to the rhythm of the dhol and the small Mog instruments (the kadam, the small cymbal and the bamboo). The dance is gentle, with the small stepping rhythm of the Mog tradition. Costume is the traditional Mog dress — the colourful rignai and the men's dhoti. Performances are at the regional festival and at the cultural programmes of the state.