Chota Nagpur Natives Danced On Adivasi Divas In Full Ethnic Glory
By Manu Shrivastava | Mumbai
It’s not every day that the grand corridors of St. Stephen’s Church at Cumballa Hill in Mumbai reverberate to the rustic folk music beats synonymous with the tribal communities.
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| Tribals from the Chota Nagpur region, now living and working in Mumbai, pose after their performance |
The Sunday, however, the devout visiting the church were in for a pleasant surprise. The usual choir music was replaced by songs sung by tribal women performing to celebrate Adivasi Divas or the World's Indigenous Peoples Day.
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| Elisha Surin |
“We didn’t have much time to practice except for the last three Sundays. So we did our best and the performance went very well,” says an exhilarated Elisha Surin, whose husband Sudhir, a Munda tribal from Jharkhand, accompanied the troupe on the mandar (percussion instrument).
“It reminded all of us of our village when we sing and dance during the harvest season, the Karam festival,” adds Elisha’s sister Silita Kujur who also lives and works in Mumbai now.
Apart from the tribal members, other church-goers also gathered to be a part of the event. “We had planned the event expecting 300 people but I believe more than 400 of them participated. This is
the first time something like this was held in this church. I wish to continue the tradition for our
fellow tribal members,” says Fr. Pravin D’souza of St. Stephen’s Church.
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| Fr. Pravin D’souza of St. Stephen’s Church wishes to continue with the tradition |
He spoke about how the participants arranged and organised everything on their own accord, despite their limitations.
This year, International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was celebrated with fervour across nations. “In Mumbai itself, similar events for the tribals were organised at several other churches across Mumbai as well,” adds Secretary of the Commission for Migrants of the Archdiocese of Bombay Fr. Glasten Gonsalves.
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| Secretary of the Commission for Migrants of the Archdiocese of Bombay Fr. Glasten Gonsalves |
The enthusiasm of the participating members was palpable and infectious. Dressed in traditional attire,
the women proudly explained how they ‘created’ the traditional look despite their limited means and paucity of time to prepare for the event.
“We used colourful paper to make head gear, coloured soya nuggets to create the beaded necklace and aluminum foil wrapped bangles for foot amulets,” explains Elisha.
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