Instead of collecting them from jungles in the Adilabad
district of Telangana, Adivasis these days are purchasing the peacock feathers
from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajastan and Chattisgarh states thanks to the
fast depleting forests.
Adivasis use peacock feathers to make hats that are
worn by Gussadis( Adivasis) to perform the
Gussadi dance as part of Dandari, celebrated for 15 days coinciding with
Diwali.
In the Adilabad district, forest cover has come down
to 20 percent from the 44 percent in the last 50 years due to various reasons
including indiscriminate felling of trees, wood smuggling and penetration of
non- tribals into tribal areas and expansion of small towns in the agency areas
in the district.
In the process, peacocks’population has also come down due to deforestation. Adivasis who used to collect peacock feathers from
jungles these days purchases them at high prices.
A single peacock feather sell for Rs 5 while a
bundle for 100 comes for Rs 300. During Diwali, thanks to the demand, each feather
sometimes sells for Rs 20. comprising 100
peacock feathers sell for Rs 300 and each Rs 5.
Peacock feathers are also being collected from Zoos and
peacock farms in other states. There are 10 shops in Jainoor selling peacock
feathers and each shop will sell hundreds of bundles during the Diwali festival
season.
Adivasis use to collect peacock feathers in the
forests along with minor forest produce and some of the cattle grazers would
also collect the feathers when they went to forest daily.
Abdul Khadir of Jainoor, owner of kirana shop that
also stocks peacock feathers, said Adivasis were purchasing peacock feathers
from their shops these days as finding them in jungles has become difficult due
to drastic fall in the forest cover.
He added that that they have been selling peacock
feathers during Diwali for the last 20 years. While earlier only a few bundles
would be sold, now he sells hundreds of bundles. Khadir said they purchase
peacock feathers in bulk from Rajastan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and
Gujarat.
Adivasi leader Kanaka Yadavrao appealed to the panchayat
raj minister K. Taraka Ramarao at Jodeghat to ensure state funds to Gussadis to
celebrate the event on the occasion of Diwali.
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