RASHMI REKHA DAS,OP
Come, take a swing at one of the hundreds of swings at the Raja festival at Patrapada where the villagers celebrate the occasion with great pomp and gaiety
Festivals are not celebrated with the same zeal as they used to be some decades ago. And that is true of the Raja festival. The festival, which was once celebrated with zest, seems to be losing its sheen. There are numerous reasons. Villages that once boasted of people living together in harmony have lost their inhabitants to nearby cities. That apart, the advent of urban influences and the indifference of the present generation towards traditional festivals have also contributed to the decline of the swing festival ‘Raja.’ With the passage of time, Raja is literally fading away. These days, you hardly see young girls celebrating the event swinging in dolis, singing melodious Raja ballads in chorus and playing puchi. However, in Patrapada, villagers not only celebrate the festival with pomp and gaiety, they invite people of adjoining villages to be part of the carnival. The central attraction of the festival is swings. Over a hundred swings are put up every year to keep the tradition alive.
How it all started
“Waiting for the arrival of friends and family members, who had to be away from villages for work, on the eve of the Raja had its own charm. And the celebration used to be grand. Bamboo swings used to be the special attraction of the festival. However, in the exodus from culturally-rich villages to materially-rich cities, many popular festivals have died an unnatural death, or have at least lost their charm. Raja is one such Odia festival that has perhaps been worst affected by this cityward stride,” says Pravat Kumar Martha, President of Maharaja Cricket Association (MCA) which has organised the Raja Carnival at Patrapada since 2011.
“Expressing concern over the reverse trend being taken by the modern generation, a few culture-conscious people of our locality such as Syamalendu Samantray, who was then secretary of MCA, Sanatan Mangraj, Diptimayee Kar and Narendra Paikay, Sudhir Patnaik, Bagmi Bidhar and Sushil Chamatiray decided to do something to keep the age-old tradition alive. Sanatan Mangarj came up with this idea and his son Sujit Mangarj went ahead with the core members of MCA. Sanatan said that the celebration of the Raja festival is part of the identity of Odias, and if the present generation move away from it, how will they learn about the rich tradition and cultural heritage of the state. Earlier, the land where 175 swings will be installed this year was barren as it is situated in a rocky belt. All these senior people had to fetch water from a distance on bullock carts and they made the area plantation worthy. They created a forest by planting Simaroga plants.”
Pravat continues, “In 1980, MCA applied to the district administration for a 14 acre land for the purpose of organising the Raja festival and planting trees. It was registered in 1987 as a reserved playground. As many as 30,000 trees have been planted on the land and the remaining part of the land is used for games like cricket and social activities.”
He adds, “After the trees became big, we started celebrating the Raja festival in the year 2011 by installing 30 swings. After three years, I was elected president of the outfit which is when I realised that people belonging to adjoining villages were taking a lot of interest in Raja and thus increased the number of swings to pull in crowds. Last year, we erected 121 swings; this year we will increase this to 175 swings.”
“Also, we came to know that many children do not want to return home after coming to the fair. So, we introduced a lunch system here. We provide free lunch to visitors including children. Our vice president (sports and culture) Rabindranath Sahoo bears all the expenses for this. Last year, we inaugurated a food plaza for food enthusiasts apart from a Mina Bazaar for providing visitors entertainment. Keeping in mind the rising inflow of visitors, we have decided to extend the three-day long fiesta to six days this year.”
The Vice President of MCA, Rabindranath Sahoo, says, “Earlier, people were allowed to visit the fairground from 7am to 6pm. But a few local women complained that they were not able to participate in the gala event due to household chores. Raja is a festival for women and girls. If they are not able to enjoy the festivities, what is the point of making so many arrangements? We extended the time of the Raja celebration till 10 pm. Besides, we came up with cultural events to entertain the audience in the evening.”
He adds: “Every year I monitor the installation of swings to avoid the occurrence of any mishap during the Raja celebration. Our effort is to revive our festival and bring back the charm. The specialty of our programme is that we hang a special swing for Mother Earth. A statue of Mother Earth is installed there and visitors have to pay obeisance to her before enjoying other events.”
Prangya Priyadarshini Sahoo, host of the cultural events held during the Raja celebration, says, “Earlier I used to participate in the event. Now, I am one of the volunteers of the show. It gives me immense pleasure to host the cultural events at the celebrations.”
Prangya, who is a lecturer at ISPAT College, Rourkela, makes sure not to miss the festival. “I find time from my hectic schedules to be present in my village to enjoy the carnival to the fullest. We hold competitions for women and girls. We have conch blowing and balloon blowing, ululation (Hula Huli) and ‘Poda Pitha’ preparation competitions among women, daughter-in-laws in particular. For girls, we organise puchi, mehendi, jhoti, muruja and skipping competitions. A few days before the gala event, we go for a talent hunt programme to get performers for the cultural programmes. On the concluding day, we felicitate winners of the various competitions and also hold a ramp show among our volunteers on the same evening. However, the special attraction of our swing festival is the ‘Alata Kumkum’ department. This department is reserved for decorating girls and women with ‘kumkum’ and ‘alata’ before they go on the swings. Those who decline to be decorated are not allowed to sit on the swings.”
Prangya has many special memories of celebrating the Raja festival at Patrapada. “Last year, I came across an 80-year-old woman who had come all the way from Uttara to enjoy the swing festival here. When I asked her about her experience, the lady said, ‘I came to know from a vernacular daily about this place. I asked my son to bring me here. Gone are the days when young women would rise in the early morning on the first day of Raja, do their hair, anoint their bodies with turmeric paste and oil before going for bath in a river or pond. Also, maidens were not allowed to walk barefoot, scratch the earth, grind, tear anything apart, or cook during the festival. An exclusive burnt cake ‘Poda Pitha’ used to be made in each Odia household for the festival. These are the traditions which were followed once upon a time. I love the way you people have been celebrating the festival. You have brought back the rural atmosphere to the place. I would love to come here again and again and enjoy the swings every year. When I was unmarried, I used to be a part of this kind of Raja celebration. But nowadays, it is no longer the same.’ Her emotion-filled words had a great impact on me.”
What youngsters feel
Ayushman Tapan Mohapatra, who is pursuing a multimedia course in Bhubaneswar, says, “Though I belong to Balakati, I make sure to be a part of the Patrapada Raja celebration every year. Swings in the play area of a municipal park can never match the swings here. The number and varying sizes of swings in villages during the Raja a few decades back are just memories now. I relive my childhood memories when I attend the Raja celebration at Patrapada.”
Subhashri Subhadarshini, a banker, says, “I am a native of Patrapada but I started residing at Angul after joining the Orissa Gramya Bank. But I never miss the Raja celebration here. I have applied for six days’ leave to enjoy Raja to the fullest. I really enjoy all the competitions and cultural programmes. I have heard from my granny that in her time even the poorest of the poor would celebrate the Raja festival in an elaborate fashion but at present it is rare to see people celebrating the occasion in a big way. Most girls of our age don’t even know its significance. However, youngsters of our village are exceptional. Through MCA, we have done our best to revive the tradition and celebrate the festival like in the earlier days.”
Kalpana Bisoi, who is pursuing post-graduation in Political Science, says, “I have been staying at my uncle’s place in Patia. But I go to my village to celebrate Raja, which is considered to be the menstruating period of Mother Earth. Just as in Hindu homes menstruating women remained secluded and were not allowed to touch anything and were given full rest, so also during Raja Mother Earth is given full rest for three days during which all agricultural activities are cancelled. Thus, we are not allowed to work. I love Raja ballads the most.”
Swati Mohanty, who is pursuing MSc in Centurion University, says, “It’s wrong to say that Raja has lost its charm. If you pay a visit to Patrapada, you find that the occasion is celebrated with fervour. Though I reside at Nirakarpur, paying a visit to Patrapada is a must for me during Raja.”