Means Business: Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh: Means Business Tourism

Fairs and Festivals of Madhya Pradesh • The adivasis of MP have a zest for life that can be observed from the countless tribal fairs and festivals celebrated every year. Clad in their colourful best with loads of jewellery, flowers and fancy headgear, men and women set out days in advance to reach the site of the fair or festival. Let’s check out some of them.

• Madai Festival One of the unique attractions of Bastar is the Madai festival held in the different villages extending from Mandla to Bastar. It is especially dear to the Gonds who come from far off places to meet their kith and kin and to purchase a year’s supply of items like salt and cooking oil. • Though the Madai is organized in many villages, the most renowned Madai is that of Narayanpur in Bastar. Held in the third or fourth week of February, it is a day of great religious importance. Devotees gather under the shade of a sacred tree to sacrifice a goat to the mother goddess. Amidst much singing, beating of drums and bells, the goat is slaughtered and then taken round the entire village. The night is spent in dancing, eating and making merry

• ¤ Bhagoriya Festival Ever heard of a festival where you are officially allowed to elope with your lover? Check this one out, guys. Held in the Jhabua district, the Bhagoriya is to the Bhils what the Madai is to the Gonds – a festival of fun and joy. It is held a week before the Hindu festival of colours, Holi. Men and women celebrate it with ritual dancing to the beat of drums and thalis and the sweet melody of shehnai and bansuri (flutes). Bhagoradev or the god of dance is worshipped on this occasion. The most respected village elder presides over the ceremony and offers sweetmeats to the god.

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The festival is special for Bhils because it could well mean love, romance and even marriage. Young men go around applying gulal (red coloured powder used to play Holi with) to the girls they like. If a girl reciprocates the sentiment then she too applies gulal in return and that is all the permission a young man needs to marry her. Even the mutual exchange of pan or betel leaf is a

• ¤ Dusshera of Bastar The Dusshera of Jagdalpur is said to be quite a celebration. Held annually in the months of October-November, the venue for this one is Jagdalpur in Bastar.

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¤ Karma The festival of Karma,a religious festival, calls for a huge celebration every year among the Korba tribals of MP. On the day of worship, devotees fast from morning till the next day – a good 24 hours. A branch from the Karam tree is planted in the middle of an open ground and the night is spent singing and dancing around it.

• ¤ The Fair of Nagaji This fair or mela is a way of remembering and paying respect to Saint Nagaji who lived at the time of Emperor Akbar, nearly 400 years ago. Tribals flock to Porsa village in Murena district every winter (NovemberDecember) and make merry for as long as a month. Earlier monkeys were sold at this fair, but now domestic animals top the charts.

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¤ Dance & Mucic Can there ever be a tribal community without a rich tradition of dance and music? The adivasis of MP are no exception. Musical instruments like the tabla, dholak, thali and bansuri are commonly used as accompaniment to song and dance. Colourful costumes, chunky ornaments and stunningly bright headgear are vital to all their dances. Sometimes ghungroos and tiny tinkling bells are tied to the body to add that extra magic.

Religion and Culture of Madhya Pradesh •

¤ People A large segment – almost 40 percent - of Madhya Pradesh’s population is tribal. Its four agro-climatic zones have resulted in a most interesting mix of peoples and lifestyles. There are three distinct tribal groups; the largest chunk being that of the Gonds, who once ruled most of the state and after whom Gondwana, the central portion of the state, is named. Western Madhya Pradesh is inhabited by the Bhils, a colourful group of warriors and hunters. The eastern side of the state is dominated by the Oraons, most of whom have now converted to Christainity. Population is pretty sparse in the tribal areas as the terrain is hilly and difficult. This poses a big problem as far as communications, transport and medical facilities are concerned. Despite the efforts of the government benefits from development programs have been slow to accrue.

• What is interesting, however, is that the tribals have managed to retain their ethnic identity, customs and rituals despite modernization – this is largely thanks to successive governments that have been extremely sensitive in their dealings with them. Madhya Pradesh is home to some of India’s leading luminaries like the present prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, thespian Habib Tanvir, noted sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, the nightingale of India Lata Mangeshkar and the painter Maqbool Fida Hussain.

• ¤ Religion Most of the people in Madhya Pradesh are Hindus. There are, however, sizeable minorities of Muslims, Jains, Christians and Buddhists. There is also a small Sikh population

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¤ Rituals Committing Jauhar-- Mass Self Immolation Apart from the usual rituals related to birth, marriage and death, MP saw the practice of jauhar under the rule of the Tomara dynasty. The Rajputs were fanatical about guarding the honour of their women. The mere thought of the women falling prey to the lust of invading Muslims was worse than death. The sombre custom of jauhar was born out of this fear. It was a ritual of mass suicide performed by the women and girls of the royal household in anticipation of capture and humiliation. When defeat in battle became imminent, the women would immolate themselves in a huge fire kept burning in a subterranean chamber. The remaining men, clad in saffron robes, would then fling themselves at the enemy in one last, desperate charge. The Jauhar Tank in Gwalior Fort witnessed such a ritual when the fort fell to Altamish (or Iltutmish).

• Language Hindi is the main and the official language of Madhya Pradesh. Dialects of the language, such as Bundelkhandi, Malwi and Chattisgarhi, are spoken all over the state. Urdu, Marathi, Sindhi, and Gujarati are also commonly spoken here thanks to the mix of people.

• Festivals Apart from religious festivals, Madhya Pradesh has many other festivals that are of a secular nature. Depending on your interests you can enjoy Indian classical dance and music, folk dance and music, literary programs, theatre and even traditional theatre forms like Ramleela, based on the Ramayana. In fact some of these festivals, like the Khajuraho Dance Festival, are so famous round the world that people come here especially to see them.