Sohrai Festival of Kurmi Community in Purulia

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Kudmi /Kurmi community is a dominant settled agricultural class in Purulia, Bankura & West Midnapore districts of West Bengal. They are also in numbers in the adjoining states of Jharkhand & Orissa. However, with the passage of time they have settlement in other parts of Bengal;particularly in Sundarban areas and even spread to Assam and Bangladesh.

Kudmis of Purulia  observe Sohrai in  religiously and merrily . It represents one of the most celebrated festivals in Purulia.  Sohrai is now a community festival irrespective of castes. It is also celebrated by the Munda tribal as well as santhals with the same enthusiasm. However, the manner and customs differ  region to region , local culture  or transformation or infusion of multi-culture gives local specific shapes to the occasion.

In Mundari language, Sohrai means the ceremony of worshipping  the deity presiding over cattle. It is celebrated on the day following the new moon after the Dasai parab. Sohara indicates the 16^th day after the Dasai full moon.  Sohrai coincides with the date of Kali Puja.

In a short, Sohrai represents the bondages between men and animals. It is a festival in the honour of cows  . The festival  has been with the community since time immemorial. No records to its origin are found. There are adages ,mythologies and stories to its origin. A very interesting story I read and putting it from my memory.

The Lord Nirakar Shiva ( Bara Pahar)  created men and provided them with cattle to harvest food with a condition that they will care the animals in a dignified way.  In course of time men  began forget  or rather disobeyed the verdicts . Cattles were put to heavy works round the year, they were subject to beating or ill-fed.  The cattle complaint to the Lord about their miserable position. The Lord promised to visit  the situation in a dark night( Amabasya). The intelligent person informed Lord’s coming in vigilance in advance to the headman. The Headman alerted to fellow members. Thus, before the Lord reached , everybody cleaned their Gosala(cowshed), decorated the cattle-shed, bathed the pets, put Shorai grass on the roof,in the premises, cows were fed with delicious food etc. Just imagine when  a head of the state or a minister visits an institution.  On seeing the arrangements the Lord returned and nullified the allegations.  Again,complaint was raised by the animals. Lord promised to visit the same.. The same results and again complaint lodged. This became a practice and took a regular feature and turned into a ceremony focusing animals.

Sohrai is of three day program. 

The first day is called Newta.  Newta signifies invitation. Newta starts with the Amabasyya. The main function of Newta is called Kachi dewa.  Pradips(earthen lamps) with four vertexs  are made of Atap rice. It is lighted with ghees. These are kept in cowsheds, in front of the doors, tulshi-manch and other useable places.  After a short period when the light is no more,the pradips are burnt in wrapped sal-leaves  and called  pura-pitha-burnt pitha. These are given to the animals and also eaten by the family members.In the mean time the horns of the cattle are rubbed with oil mixed with vermillion and turmeric. During this day, Shorai grass is collected and put on the roof  and doors of the cowshed.  This is as if Lord finds enough fodder in the house.

The second day of the ceremony is Jhahali. Garaiya puja is hold. As Amabasyya ends, the head or his representatives take fast and bath before puja. He goes to the field and bring a bunch of paddy crop on head. While he returns from the field he does not talk with any body, comes silently. After reaching home mariars are built. Mariar is the knitted paddy stalks..these are ornamental like and put on the horns of cattle or hanged on the body of the animals. Again, marries are put on the doors and other important places of the house.

In every village there is a team of Jahali Bula, who rounds the village ,knocks every house ,chants ,dances and blesses the households early in the morning. A seat of worship is marked in the right or east direction. The seat is decorated with ronguli made of atap-dust. The plow, mai,jowals ,kural accessories for cultivation are kept there. Two statues of dissimilar heights are built. They are represented as deities. Deities are decorated with yellow flowers of Sargunja on top.  Garai deity is given pithas.  Cows are also given this delicious items.  The cows are taken for bath. In the mean time ranguli (chokhpura)is marked from the entrance of house up to the cowshed. The cattle enter crossing the chokpura . They are worshipped.

In the evening the village brand team sings and dances and collects revenues for the programme.

The third day is Nimcha. Dhup-dhuna is spread on the cowshed,houses and streets to avoid evil powers on cattle. On this day the cowboy is well fed and rewarded for his service. The cows are stamped with colors.

In the evening Badna parab starts. A bull is tied on a rope and teased with a raw skin to make it furious.  Villagers assemble make shouts,beat drums to see the tolerance and strength of the animal.

This is the normal routine of Shorai.

Unattended Fruits of Paschimanchal: Custard Apple

Arsha block in Purulia is an  enviable seat of agricultural practices, innovative ideas and dry land farming.  Natural endowments are scarce to the region relative to other parts. Undulating ,rolling surface, paucity of water and inaccessibility relative to other parts of the state have given strength to the dwellers to adopt and module livelihood based farming system. From time immemorial they  are growing sugarcane under rain-fed condition.  In the harsh soil they have their own cultivars of Kulthi(horsegram). Last year despite erratic rainfall and drought like situation this crop saved them and their animals.  I saw sagrsuti -a kind of beans grown in the worst soil under worst situation  . Similarly, I have found many of them growing Ginger in the uplands.  Groundnut is also their traditional crop.There are many other crops,trees  suitable to dry tracts you can find in Arsha block or its adjoining areas. However, the zeal of entrepreneurship or business motive is seldom here.
This year I had a visit to some of the villages ,viz; Harmadi, Nunuya, Ghatiali, Goalikocha etc,where my student Biman has been doing excellent jobs in propagating WADI-mission of GVT.  under his able stewardship new orchards of mangoes, guavas etc. are coming up.  While on visiting those, I was struck to sporadic natural grown sitafal. This is locally called Madal. This is nothing but custard apple.  I was fascinated to see the sizes and flesh of these apples. I sat down to the premises of Laxmi Murmu at Harmadi. i asked her;
" how many madal trees are there?"
"three"-replied
"how many do you get?"
She was hesitant this time.  Any way she answered she sold 50 kgs last year. Thus, i came to conclude that 5 fruits equal to 1 kg. and she got 80-90 fruits per tree, obviously she and others have tasted a lot.
This is a unique fruit-crop in the area. This crop is grown in the courtyard of every house there.Commercialization is yet to be developed.
I asked how much price do u receive now. She prompted : "Rs.20 per kg,"
On hearing this Biman whispered " Sir yesterday I purchased @ Rs.60 per kilo."

I said " it is grown unattended and  sold unattended " 

Saragsuti (Cluster Bean) of Purulia: A time -tested crop of Dry lands

Last year during September I was  wandering through drought affected parts of Paschimanchal..   finally  I reached at Sindurpur, Purulia.  There people were passing through bad times, it was almost drought- there were no rains for about two months- fields were parched, instead  golden corns I found dislodged straws everywhere. Cattles were grazing on the paddy fields.. ponds,tanks & wells were dry in Dumurdi. However, after sharing their misery I was about to return Purulia. In the mean time I was searching for a restaurant to eat something. Luckily , I saw a small hotel on the road. I entered & ordered for chapatis.  The manager cum bearer brought chapatis with fried vegetables. 
Small  fried pieces were alike beans . How could beans reached to this shanty? Who are consuming high-priced vegetable here? I asked the manager..
" Is it bean?"
" no..it's Saragsuti"?
"What? "
" Oh you  know it as Gua-suti..many call it Kolkatta sim"
-" Gua Sim I have heared..but Kolkata suti?"
-" this vegetable  go to Kolkata  daily from here and it is now locally called Kolkatta Suti.. This is the only crop you can see under drought situation. Nothing is available other than Sagarsuti this time"

Can you show me some fresh vegetables?
"Oh..yes". He brought some samples. These were fresh,glossy and slender and replica of beans.
It was nice to taste it. I heard about Gua Sim which is called cluster bean  in my in-laws house at Purulia-ii.

I was interested on two aspects .. first about its name as Sagar suti & secondly is it a viable crop in Purulia.

I began to review some literature on it. I  was stuck that India is the leader of Gua-sim or cluster bean. Rajasthan produces 80% of the total bean produced in India. Further, during 2012 export earning from Cluster bean/Gua Gum exceeded the figure of Basmatirice.  Tremendous export potential of cluster bean  recorded. I got my answers to the first point.  Purulia district was the hub of jains. There are a number of Saraks who are originally Jains. Many of them were from Rajasthan .It might be Saraks brought it from Rajasthan or they were first eaters of this plant grown wildly here. As Sarkas are accustomed to this crop,its name became Saragsuti here. It is the part of historian to verify my hypothesis.

A few days back I went to Dumurdihi again. I raised the question of Saragsuti. My hands were hold back by a stout young guy..he is Jiban Mahata.
" come with me ..see my farm..it is a walking distance".
I came with him to his farm. It is by default a natural organic farm. The boundary was made of date-palm trees..There were heaps of cow dung collected from elsewhere.. there is no source of water.. land is too high..red lateritic. outside is barren.. no green is being seen. Surprisingly, I looked into the farm.. Green is everywhere..lust green crops were heading... i was pointed to the sagarsuti0shrubs.. these are one month old.. by this time there are pods on the branches of the crop..
" Sir see it.. last week I sold 2 kgs, in the market and got 50 rupees.. Gradually its price will decline but would never fall below Rs.15.00.  "
" What are uses apart from selling or consuming green pod"?
" Sir these are excellent cattle food. I use  it as pulses during off-season. Last year it saved me. It was drought but my sagarsuti grew".
  I did not talk about its export potential but shared the views that it could withstand drought and temperature. It is not an alien crop to them. With minimum efforts and costs it thrives well in the worst land. It has wide domestic market.
We are talking about drought in Purulia. It would be incomplete without  out Guar baean.a seasoned crop in Paschimanchal.

IND-Festival--A dying folk festival of Manbhum

It is the beginning of Bhadra-month in Bengali calender. Up land rice in the hilly areas is ready for harvest.  Bhumij- a tribe of  early settler in Chotonagpur plateau  who are  in numbers in Baghmuni, Barabhum, Manbazar and other parts of Purulia would celebrate festivals in sequence. They will perform age long Karam first followed by an another colorful occasion named InD.  The air will be bustled with folk-songs:
" Ind tanre eind othe
Chata tanre chata othe
Ogo kasi tanre basir sabdo"

The ind-flag  is raised in the ind-ground, umbrella is raised in the chata tanre, flutes are ringing in the banks of Kasai0river.  In the Bhumij dominated areas there are specific grounds marked for ind-festival as well as chata0festival.  On the 11th day of Bhadra, immediate after the Karam festival, ind starts and it is one day event.
There is no history or documents witnessing the start of this festival. Again, there are different opinions on the ind-concept across places.
According to someone, the term ind means " My festival" in Mundari language, It is the festival of celebrating coronation of the king. Chotonagpur was ruled by Munda0tribe long long back. Mangra Munda was a powerful king . When he became too aged ,he desired  to relinquish his chair, and wanted to make Mani Mukut as the successor. On the very day, a royal procession participated by his subjects met in an open ground.  A white umbrella symbolizing  the crown was raised far above amidst chanting,music and merry dancing.  To memorize the historical event, the tribal celebrate ind.. This type of observing is still in vogue in Jharkhand where Mundas dominate. It is now a state level festival in Jharkhand.
Another version is ,ind connotes the name of Debraj Indra, the deity of  clouds and rains, On this day people assemble and seek the blessings of Indra for good rain  for good harvest.  As now, indra puja is done during ind-festival ,the event has become universal and not limited to any particular sect.Both tribal and non-tribal participate in ind-program.
In course of time, Ind festival got patronage from kings,chiefs, zamindars etc. In khatra, on this day a log of sal is erected traditionally by the Raj0family. The sacred sal is worshipped in the name of Lord Indra. Thereafter, a white flag is hoisted. The white flag symbolizes the tradition of raj0tantra. Worshiping  Indra is still now performed by the raj0family of Jhargram.
Similarly, in Barabhum of purulia Ind is celebrated in a majestic way.
In Baghmundi, there is ind-tare where festival is held at matha. In kalimati, there are the clans of Dolgobinda Sing, dinabandhu Sing who represented as powerful Mankis. Mankis were the Zamindars of 12 mouzas or villages. Now Mankis have lost their Zamindari  but did not lose their dignity. The inherited clan still hoists flags and worship lord indra.  It may be mentioned here that the umbrella is raised in convex-shape. This is in contrast to Chata parab where umbrella is raised in normal form by the King.  This is to me a submission to the King  by the Mankis who were subordinates to the King.

However, people of manbhum waits for the the day. This reminds the popular adage :

, " রুয়াঁই খুজে বাতাশ অার, নাড়ায় খুজে ইন্দ।" 

fragments of cotton are floated by air, similarly  the poor floats in Ind.

ind is the merry day to manbhum residents.