When asked to Vijay Ganawa (40) a Bhil if Jhabua(M.P) ‘Do you burn Ravana the great Bhil...? He promptly replied, 'No, we don’t burn Ravana. He is our Bhil hero. We honour him as our god, hero and fellowmen.’ And then Vijay narrated a long story in which the Bhils of Jhabua untimely associate with Ravana as revered person of great importance. Alas, I said in my mind all through the centuries how many tribal heroes must have been killed, despiced, socially murdered together with their reputations, damaging totally their human rights from pre-historic times untill today. Some are burried even from memories of their tribal folks some are called Asuras yet others are criminals and remmaining had to indulge in ‘vagar’(forced labour) building their palaces, cultivate fields and fodder for them, build roads and bridges all through not for one generation but for many centuries for centuries.
The Bhils traditionally celebrate Dusshera in their own Bhil way. Ravana is their god and much revered hero. In past years the Bhil way of celebrating Dusshera was by killing a big buffalo and here one can say that in their folk memories, the meat is a holy food and was shared by all the families residing in the boundry of the village. In some places even Rajput who annexed Bhil territories participated in their sacred ceremony like in Jhabua there is still a mountain where Jhabua kings of Rathore family of Rajputs used to hold this ceremony for Bhil community with joy and even the ‘kalals’(liquor merchants) supplied ‘ganzo’(country liquor) who marketed it among the Bhils and other communities of present day Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Communities (OBC), as sared drink to all male elders residents talking in their liquor shoping areas. Today among many customs and festivals of the Bhils, suffering breach of human rights, linguistic rights, religious rights this too under strict vigilence and prevention. But on Arch Bhil Badwo Mano of Ranapur area in Jhabua district of MP is said to continue Buffalo Ceremony during this festival on a mountain top of Vagai village some 20 km west of the town of Ranapur resisting the breach of their human and cultural rights by non-tribal communities or even government as people report. Why should we not maintain our rights and festival people say.
Vijay Ganawa says that the Bhils of Jhabua District gather in Jhabua district headquater and Thandla town not to burn Ravana but to honour him and to see the direction in which the skeleton of the symbolic body collapse when he is shot by firy arrows in the Dusshera festival of the non-tribal Hindus. Each direction of Ravana fall has a symbolic and auspicious meaning. And when Ravana holy body collapses on the ground, while inflamed by fire, the rush to take burning wood back home, believing that if placed in ther homes will cast off many sickness and bring home various blessing for family members, cattles, agriculture and other occupation.
Should not be tribals religious' feeling be respected not burning Ravana….? Or, should the image of Ravana not be enhanced for social, cultural and other ethoes…? In this we need to enter into history, culture and folklore of tribal India if at all we protect their overall human rights.....!
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