Deekshalu to protect Adivasis' unique culture

Adivasis are resorting to take ‘Jai Jango Jai Lingo’ deeksha to protect their Gondi Dharma from cultural pollution and carry forward their culture to new generations.

The Adivasis take 31-Day and 21- Day deekshalu in pusya mas every year to encourage their children to become familiar with their traditions and customs and to prevent them from ‘getting polluted culturally’.

Jango denote Adivasi goddess Jangubai and Lingo denotes God ‘Pahandi Pari Kupari Lingo’. Devotees who took the deeksha will end deeksha at Siddikasa on the borders of Telangana and Maharashtra.

Adilabad MP Gadam Nagesh said ‘it was the high time the Adivasis not only protected their Adivas culture, but also preserve and carried it forward to new generations or they would lose their unique identity over a period of time.

He reiterated that ‘the Gondi Dharma which was their religion, was not categorized under any religion in the Indian Constitution’.   

Even Adivasi women have been taking the ‘Jai Jango ..Jai Lingo Deekshalu’ for long time. Most of the Adivasi of this district take these deekshalu at a temple at Jamgoan village in Jainoor.

Former Adivasi MLAs Atram Sakku, Soyam Bapurao, former Zilla Parishad Chairman Sidam Ganapati and many Adivasi ZPTCs, MPTC, Sarpanches irrespective of their parties have taken the deeksha in the past.   

Gondi Dharma Pracharak Sedmaki Seetharam said that Deekshalu was started by their elders, former minister late Gadam Ramarao, Sidam Arju, Gangadas Maharaj and Kusram Hanumanthrao Maharaj and added that a decision being taken to introduce ‘Jai Jango Jai Lingo’ deekshalu in the ‘Akhilbharatiya Gond Mahasabha’ held in Jamgoan in Jainoor in the year 2000.

The Adivasis started taking deekshalu in 2001, the first year itself seeing nearly 3,000 Adivasis take it.