Bastar Pandum 2025: Chhattisgarh Government’s Initiative to Promote Local Folk Art and Cultural Traditions

Three-Day Block-Level Competition Begins Today

As part of an innovative initiative by the Chhattisgarh government to preserve and promote the rich local folk art and cultural heritage of the tribal-dominated Bastar region, Bastar Pandum 2025 is being organized. According to an official letter (Ref. No. 106/OSD/CSO/2025) from the Chief Secretary’s Office, Mahanadi Bhavan, Ministry, dated February 24, 2025, this festival aims to safeguard the essence of Bastar’s art forms, crafts, festivals, cuisine, dialects, traditions, attire, ornaments, musical instruments, folk dances, songs, theatre, and traditional beverages. Additionally, the event seeks to encourage and honor tribal artists while fostering the continuous development of art collectives.

Under the guidance of Collector Shri Devesh Kumar Dhruv, Bastar Pandum 2025 will be celebrated across Sukma district. The block-level competitions will take place from March 17 to March 19 in all development blocks. For smooth execution, all SDMs (Sukma, Konta, Chhindgarh) have been appointed as nodal officers, while all Janpad CEOs will serve as assistant nodal officers, supported by respective divisional coordinators and block resource coordinators.

Following the block-level competitions, the district-level competition will be held at the Sukma district headquarters from March 21 to March 23. To ensure the effective implementation of the event, District Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Smt. Namrata Jain has been appointed as the nodal officer.