video shooting for the documentary of Sohrai Festival

Sunta, Bokaro

11^th Jan. 2012

Sohrai festival was celebrated in Sunta Panchayat of Bokaro during 11^th-15^th January 2012Twelve villages of Santhal community within the Sunta Panchayat were visited by Janmadhyam during this festival for a video documentary shooting.

The villages included Bandhgutu, Kanshitand, Kusumtikri, Rangadih, Vikramdih, Aamrakulhi, Dungrigora, Khuditopa, Laahtand, Barwadih, Sunta, and Jala. From the begining Sohrai is the main Festival of the
Santhals. The festival basically symbolizes the love of Sa

nthal community for their animals and the deep affection and pious love of brother and sister. Their Logic behind the festival is that the animals serve them the whole year. So, it is their duty to respect and love their pets at least once in the year. So, their ancestors decided to celebrate it. Secondly, during the festival the Sisters wish a long life for their Brothers.The festival was celebrated for five days. The villagers of twelve villages of Sunta Panchayat gathered in an open land (TAND). They started their festival with "Ghatpuja". Two Manjhi-Hadams of Sunta Panchayat started this process. More than hundred people were present during the worship. Chicks were offered to their God. Villagers were present with the collected rice and pulses for "KHICHRI". Stones were used for the wolves. Children were busy in collecting woods for fuel. Khichri was cooked in big pans. The offered chicks were fired on the pyre and added to the Khichri. After that it was served on the leaves plucked by the children. All accepted the "Prasad". The Manjhi-Hadams had also brought a fowl with them. The offered head of the chicks and the fowl were used with flour of rice to make "TARPA PEETHA". The Manjhi- Hadams of the villages accepted this Prasad. After that the cows of the villages were brought and were made to step over the offered egg of a hen.

In the late night the process of "GAAY JAGA" started. Although it was very cold there, people came out with the Mandar and Nagaras and started singing and dancing "SOHRAI". They went door to door singing and dancing.Everyone was offering them rice. The process continued for whole night. And the first day of the festival ended like that.

Before the festival come people started painting their houses with different colored soils, lime etc. along with various designs on the wall and cleaning their Khalihans. Smearing of the aangans were done daily with cow dung. Till the second day of the festival they brought different colored soils to smear their walls. The ploughs and Juath were washed in the pond and brought home. In the late afternoon people started collecting materials for “CHOK PURA”.New rice was bitten and grinded to make “GUNDI” (The flour of rice). The people who were comparitively rich or who didn’t have the facility of “DHEMKI” were going to grind it with a machine. The gundi was mixed with water and a solution was made. The solution called “CHOK”. Various designs were made by this solution in the ground fro New rice was bitten and grinded to make “GUNDI” (The flour of rice).entrance to the “GOHAL” (The house for the cow & oxen). This was the day for the guests to come. “CHARPA PEETHA” (A pastry of flour of rice) made of pork or chicken was there for the guests. Gohal puja was done the same night. People danced and sang Sohrai for the whole night at the beet of MANDAR and NAGARA. Many people didn’t have sufficient clothes to save themselves from cold. Some people came with a single shawl or blanket wrapped on their body to stand in the semicircular row to dance. Maximum People in the Santhali community are still below the poverty line. Their economic status is not so good. Single storey tile roofed mud house was the only support to save them from the cold of January.

Some people even don’t have a door in their houses. A gate made of bamboo sticks and putus or Tulsi sticks called “TATI” was sufficient to stop t

he dogs and other animals to get inside. But it cannot stop the cool breeze of January or the rain of July-August. But this insufficiency also couldn’t lower their enthusiasm. They served their guests with Hot Tarpa peetha, Maadi and rice with pork or chicken. The arrangement of sleeping was done upon a thick layer of hay with few homemade blankets called “LENDRA”. The guests who wanted to involve in their Sohrai dance could easily stand in the semicircular row

hand in hand with girls and boys. The enthusiasm of Little girls, week young women was so high that they didn’t want to leave the line for a single moment during the whole night. The men playing the Nagaras and Mandars forget about the tiredness and continuously doing their work. If they used to stop for a while after a song, a very sweet voice of “Ta re taha re ta tra na re…..tah re taha na na re” used to came from the female queue and finally the men had to play. Some people took alcohol. They were badly intoxicated. But no one thought of misbehaving with th

e ladies in this condition also. Because, every girl, young lady was of their own house, their own village. So there was no space of misdeeds. When the young ladies swung during the second line of the Sohrai song. Seeing this, attracting toward the culture of Santhals is common process. The dust flying from ground by the stroke of the legs of the girls and boys could be eaeasily seen in the dim light of the moon. The ups and downs in the roads of suburb also couldn’t stop their enthusiasm. Anyone can be influenced by seeing the whole process of Sohrai. A non Santhali person would regret at least once of not being the part of this culture. And a Santhali person would be proud of the heritage.

After dancing till third morning, people went to take some rest and take their breakfast. In the afternoon, the oxen were brought to home after washing in the pond. They were decorated. Few of the oxen were tied with the ropes in the middle of the kulhis with a strong post. After that the oxen were entertained with the music and beet of Nagaras and Mandars. After playing for some time with the oxen, they freed them. After that the Paika Dance started. Paika continued

till the evening. The third day of Sohrai is known for the coming of the married daughters to their fathers home. Their brothers go to receive them or they come with their husband. Sohrai is well known for the cattle love of Santhals along with the bond of pious love between the brothers and sisters. Sisters wish for the long life and prosperity of their brother. People dance for whole night during the third day also. Girls were very tired in the fourth morning due to the continuous dance. Although they were tired, they were seen doing their household works. Few of them went to the hand pump or the pond to clean the used utensils. Some of them were busy cleaning their houses.

After the household works they got some time to take some rest. Some people didn’t give any importance to the rest and were involve in the JALE (dance and song). Some people were taking rest in the day because it was the last day and they had to dance for the whole night. As the evening came the group of Sohrai came out. People were visiting all the houses dancing and singing. Like the first three nights Sohrai came to its peak till 9 p.m. Sound of Nagaras and Mandals, the sweet voice coming from the throat of the women…“Ta..re…taha…re…ta…tra…na…re…ta…re…ta… na.. na..re” could make anyone helpless and make them to dance. No more shyness was there in the faces. But there was no place for slovenliness. If we want to know about the cultural love of Santhals, we have to involve ourselves in their festivals. The hard and wearied dance of four day, four nights couldn’t lower the smiles from the innocent faces. After dancing for whole night like the previous nights, they went to take some rest in the 5^th morning. After sometime people started visiting the houses which were left in the fourth day JALE process. Since, it was the last day. People were dancing and

singing with multiple enthusiasm. With this JALE process the Sohrai festival of Santhals came to an end. All the guests were gone before the evening. Silence was spread in the environment. But still sounds of Nagaras were coming from the far

villages. People were seen trying to survive from cold by lighting the fire. The full documentary video shooting of five day Sohrai festival was done by Janmadhyam. So that it should be kept rennet.