The main festival that the Rauts celebrate is the Raut Nach.
Its genesis is related to an interesting tale that goes back to the
days of Lord Krishna, says Ruby Gupta

A festival of togetherness

RECENTLY Chhattisgarh has come into the news due to its impending status of statehood. Some time ago it was in the news because the Jain brothers (of the infamous diary) had laid the foundation of their millions from Chhattisgarh. They had exported rice from Chhattisgarh to several countries. This is because Chhattisgarh is known as the rice bowl of India. Apart from this, Chhattisgarh also has its unique cultural identity. An example of this is the Raut Nach, a festival, the likes of which is not seen anywhere else in the country. Raut Nach is the living example of the folk tradition of Chhattisgarh. Almost all the festivals celebrated in our rich and varied land have a colourful legend that lies behind it — whether it is Dasehra associated with the killing of Ravana, or Divali that coincides with the return of the triumphant Lord Rama. Raut Nach has an interesting story behind it. As the name denotes, this festival takes its name from the dance performed by the Raut people. Now who are the Rauts ? There is an intriguing fable associated with the origin of the Raut clan. According to the Puranas, one of the descendants of Manu was King Yayati. His eldest son was Yadu, from whom the Yadav clan originated. Lord Krishna also belonged to same lineage. During the Mahabharata war, the Yadavs displayed exemplary valour. After their triumph in the war, they gave up their arms and migrated to various parts of India. One such strain of Yadavs which settled in the Chhattisgarh region is known as Rauts in the local language. Today there are about 19 lakh Rauts all over the Chhattisgarh region.

The main festival that the Rauts celebrate is the Raut Nach. Its genesis is related to an interesting tale that goes back to the days of Lord Krishna. As is well known, Krishna was a cowherd. He and other cowherds were in the habit of taking their cows to graze upon the lush Govardhan mountain. The grass was so plentiful that the cows began producing a very rich yield of milk. So Krishna and the cowherds started worshipping the Govardhan mountain that had brought prosperity to them. Formerly they had worshipped Lord Indra, the lord of rain. When Indra saw that his former disciples had turned away from him, he became greatly incensed. He vowed to drown the Yadavs and caused a torrential downpour. However, Krishna soon came to the rescue of the Yadavs. He lifted the Govardhan mountain and everybody took shelter beneath it. Thus he saved the lives of his Yadav brethern by shielding them from the rain. Seeing the defeat of Lord Indra at the hands of Krishna, all the Yadavs started jumping with exuberance. This joyful moment has been celebrated ever since in the form of the Raut Nach.

With the passage of time, another parable became associated with this one. This is the story of Krishna killing the cruel and tyrannical King Kans. So Raut Nach came to be a yearly festival that embodied the celebration of both these events. Thus this cultural festival is actually the celebration of the triumph of good over evil. It also serves to highlight the valour of the Yadavs in the form of the defeat of Lord Indra, and their bravery in the Mahabharata war. This festival is also associated with the harvesting season. In this it is akin to the dance festival of the paddy growing people of Nagaland, and the Bhangra of Punjab that commemorates the wheat harvesting season. To some extent it is also similar to the Baredi dance performed by the Ahirs of the Bundelkhand region of MP. It too is an all-male dance like the Raut Nach, but the difference is that whereas the former is performed by groups of 10-15 people, the latter is a mass dance.

This festival is celebrated sometime after Divali. This year for instance, the date on which Raut Nach will be celebrated is November 14. In Bilaspur division alone, about 5000 Rauts from various villages will congregate to display their skill and artistry.

The various groups of Raut dancers clad in their traditional glittering costume also visit the bazaar. The attractive apparel of the dancers consists of an elaborate pagdi with the mandatory peacock feathers and paper flowers, full-sleeved brightly coloured buttoned shirt, an elaborately embroidered velvet jacket; a tight knee-length dhoti, and colourful shoes and socks. This is further embellished with armlets, wristbands and waistbands made up of cowry shells. They further adorn themselves with paper and marigold flowers, and heavy anklets with ghungroos. The face is anointed with vermilion, turmeric, kohl, sandalwood powder and yellow mud. All of them wield the lathi and shield in their hands. This denotes their bravery, while the ghungroos symbolise their artistic temperament. Each group consisting of about 100 dancers has their own little orchestra group. The people who play the instruments belong to the Gandharva tribe. This festival has generated a sense of brotherhood, unity and discipline amongst the Yadavs of the region. This is of great importance because of Rauts of Chhattisgarh were previously an unruly, faction-ridden and divided lot. This festival not only provides entertainment, but is a positive use of the free time of the people who have finished with the backbreaking labour in the fields. It is a combined celebration of the joy of living and the satisfaction gained from completing their work.

Such festivals are also necessary to provide a much needed respite to the people from their hard and humdrum existence. It helps to rejuvenate and revitalise them so that they can once again revert back to their daily tasks with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. In today’s scenario this festival has gained tremendous importance. This is because these folk festivals help to keep the rich cultural heritage of our country intact in the face of the western and urban onslaught upon the villages.