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Days of bhang gone
Little colour in lives of Pak Hindus
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All set for Jhanda Sahib Mela
Dehradun, March 10 Preparations are complete for the yearly Jhanda Sahib Mela which commences on March 15. Lakhs of pilgrims are expected congregate from different parts of the country.
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Pauri Garhwal, March 10 What used to be a most-awaited festival with celebrations extending up to 15 days has now become a one-day affair. Most things associated with Holi are now forgotten. Two decades ago there used to be “Khadi” and “Baith” Holi that was celebrated with fervour in the hills of Uttarakhand. Groups of people playing traditional instruments of dhol-dhamo and singing Holi songs would go house to house. Now those wandering gangs of Holi revellers seem to have vanished. Old-timers recall how Holi used to be all colour and fun. “Celebrations began days ahead of Holi. In the evenings, we would sing folk songs based on local tales. Now all that has changed. It’s too artificial,” said Dalbir Singh Rawat, a retired Army men of Kewars village in Pauri Garhwal. In fact, all festivals seem to have lost that traditional touch. Perhaps, on account of cross-culture influences and migration of youths from the hilly districts in search of better employment opportunities. Surya Prakash, 70 , a resident of Srinagar Garhwal, feels that all is not well with the young people. “They celebrate Valentine’s and Friendship Day but lack interest in local festivals.” Tanvi Rawat, a mass communication student in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, on a visit to her hometown Pauri to celebrate Holi said: “It’s just that half of the population is outside the state in search of jobs. There is bound to be a change in religious customs and tradition. It’s not that we are disrespecting our culture, we are celebrating Holi as is done in metros. Veteran theatre artiste Gauri Shankar Thapliyal gets emotional when recalling Holi celebrations that used to be. “Everything was so natural then with Braj Holi songs and Garhwali ones. It was a special occasion for the Fauji bhai (Army men) who would ensure they were home for the Holi. Holi now implies an occasion to drink, go on a picnic and dance to the beats of the DJ in streets creating a nuisance. Revellers use paint, grease and throw water balloons filled with pebbles or dirt, forcing people to keep indoors. Community participation and fellow feeling, the essence of the festival, has vanished in the hills. Yet all is not lost. The “Rath” Holi played by people of the Thailisan block of Pauri Garhwal is keeping the tradition alive with its distinct identity. In this area, young children carrying colours and a tambourinein hand can be seen going house to house, shop to shop collecting money for Holi celebrations, but then again singing the traditional Holi songs is missing. The traditional “Khadi” Holi is celebrated by community people in the streets, while “Baithak” Holi is gathering of people at one place. Kumaon has a 400-year-old tradition of Holi Baithak while in the Garhwal areas, “Khadi” Holi is more popular. Baithak Holi is more prevalent among women and in Almora, Haldwani and Ramnagar, “Baithak” Holi is held where folk/devotional songs about Radha-Krishna and Shiva-Parvati are sung , besides humourous, witty songs on the beats of the manjira, dholak and dhap. Ganesh Khukshiyal “Gani”, a theatre artiste from Pauri, says: “We used to celebrate Khadi Holi visiting villages where a tragedy such as death had occured. This way we would try to lessen their sorrows and express community solidarity. “But everything seems to have changed now though in the interiors the Khadi Holi tradition is still alive.” As Holi is a festival of colours, people of Uttarakhand had a unique way of using these. Colours were made from natural resources only -- roots of kirmod, turmeric and vermilion and a colour from the vegetable ravinh. Such colours were harmless unlike the synthetic colours sold in the market now. The Holi of Deval, a mix of Kumaon-Garhwali tradition, is also a distinct one. Here the celebrations commence on Basant Panchami and colours applied on statues of goddesses in temples. The “Holiyaras” then go home to home where they are served tea, beetal nuts and jaggery. Kadambari Devi,77, a Chipko Movement activist, reminisces: “We used to have squirters made of bamboo with water made from wheat grass and rhodedendron. We would fill buckets of water and wear sparkling white clothes, visiting door to door. “It was quite a safe Holi and we as women felt at ease. But now I don’t see girls or women playing Holi outside their homes.”
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Days of bhang gone
Dehradun, February 10
The trend of consuming liquor on Holi is the rise in Doon valley also. Bhang used to an integral part of the Holi as per the Indian tradition and people use to prepare it at home after crushing its leaves and mixing it with milk and lots of crushed dry fruits in order to reduce the effect of the intoxication. Many people used to prepare the drink at home. But due to the unavailability of the plant in Dehradun, the tradition has taken a backseat and this has led to the increased sale of liquor during the festival. In order to stop the hooliganism by drinkers, the state administration has ordered all liquor shops to remain closed.
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Little colour in lives of Pak Hindus
Dehradun, March 10 They were recently in the news for having bought immovable property here without mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “We are seeking legal opinion to lodge civil or criminal proceedings against them. Though their long-term visa has been renewed regularly and there is no proof of their involvement in any illegal activity especially from the security angle but being foreign nationals of non-Indian origin, they cannot purchase property here without RBI permission,” said SSP Amit Sinha. But the matter has a human angle. “No one rents us their accommodation knowing that we are from Pakistan. We felt compelled to conceal our identity to have a roof on our heads. But for how long could this go on.” “So we had no option but to purchase a house. Honestly, we did not know nor did anybody tell us about the RBI permission. We will apply for this now,” said Arjun Dass Malhotra, who came here in 1994 forced by communal backlash post-Babri Masjid demolition. Though officials say that the permission can be taken even at this stage, the development has further increased their sense of insecurity and alienation in society where they thought their religious identity might help in leading a normal life. The house they bought has run into a dispute as the owner gave them possession after charging money but executed the sale deed with another person. “We do not know where to go and which country we belong to. We are rootless,” said Shri Chand Malhotra, Arjun Dass’ younger brother, who came here in 1989 after disposing off his property. His wife hails from Saharanpur. These families implored the Centre to come out with a favourable policy to help them leave their past behind. This has become all the more important due to a steady exodus from the NWFP and Swat Valley, which of late is showing signs of picking up. “Many Hindu families have taken refuge in Gurdwara Panja Sahib. Their properties are not being sold. About 20-25 families have fled so far and moved to other places in India for a secure life,” said the brothers who are living off a hardware shop taken on rent here. It is a measure of the goings-on in NWFP that Malhotras requested not to mention the name of their place to prevent jeopardising the lives of their relatives and co-religionists still left behind as well as some kind-hearted Muslims who are helping them.They recalled with horror how three Hindus were murdered in broad daylight while sitting in the medical store run by them. While Nanak Chand was killed in 2000, Kirpa Ram and Jagdish Kumar fell to bullets of policemen in 1994. “No one was arrested. You can imagine our sense of insecurity. So we decided to leave forever fearing the same fate some day. We were running a medical store there,” said the younger brother. Shri Chand has two school-going daughters whom he could not have dreamt of educating in Pakistan. For this reason, the two married daughters of the elder Malhotra remained uneducated. His two sons-in-law, who owned medicine shops, have also left Pakistan. One plies an auto-rickshaw while the other is working in a paint shop.
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All set for Jhanda Sahib Mela
Dehradun, March 10 On March 15, the flag-hoisting ceremony will be held in the vicinity of Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib here. The mela is held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Rai of the Udasi sect. Last year, more than two lakh pilgrims had visited the city during the mela. Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the boarding and lodging of pilgrims. “This year, we will be organising seven ‘langars’, two more than last year in anticipation of a surge in number of pilgrims. “‘Langars’ will be held at Guru Ram Rai Junior School and Primary School (Talab) and in the premises of the Darbar Sahib,” said BP Saklani, officer incharge, Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib. “We will be put up 300 tents at Matawala Bagh along with a community kitchen. Besides putting them up at the Darbar Sahib premises, additional arrangements have been made at the schools run by the Guru Ram Rai Education Mission,” he added. ‘Sangats’ from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have already begin arriving. The first to arrive was the ‘sangat’ from Punjab. Pilgrims from the UK, Canada and the USA will also be participating in the mela. “For the smooth conduct of the mela, a mela kotwali will be set up at Darbar Sahib. A sewak committee comprising of 80 volunteers will also be entrusted with the security during the event,” said Vishnu Kumar Nautiyal, coordinator at the darbar. Free health camps for the pilgrims will also be held.
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With modern tools making way into one’s drawing room, traditional Holi celebrations in the hill districts of Uttarakhand have undergone a sea change.
