Gods too hit by drought

Adivasi Devul  (  traditional wooden gods)

The ongoing drought has affected the Adivasi’s gods, rituals and their food grains in the district.

Adivasis of most villages are avoiding taking their traditional wooden Gods to the river Godavari and sacred streams to bathe them and are instead washing them in stored Ganges water as the Godavari is dry.

They also haven’t been able economically to celebrate their traditional feasts or make pilgrimages to religious places such as Demmalrajul, Peddaiah, Pulikaschar, Jangubai, Godavari and Thotulakasa due to severe drought.

Pusyamas is the festival season for Adivasis and old age tradition is that they take their Gods Jangu Bai, Bheemal pen, and Persapen, Jallidevara to Godavari or sacred streams to bathe them.

Only priests, called Katodas and village elder are going to Godavari or nearby streams and collecting muddy water in copper pots and performing rituals back at the villages with that water.      

Most of the Adivasis say that food grains have gone dry in their houses unlike in the past and were not even in a position to drink Ambali ( liquor made of jowar) leave the alone rice to fill  their stomachs.

Neither are they in a position to repay the loans taken from bank and moneylenders due to the crop failure. Most Adivasis are now anxiously looking for the ration rice to fill their stomachs.

Mr. Kursinge Thanaji of Jamini in Jainad mandal said successive severe droughts have affected their traditional Gods and their rituals and instead of the entire village, a group of people including village headman (patel), Katoda, Mahajan, and Ghatya are going to the Godavari or any identified place to collect sacred water.

“Adivasis gave a bath to their gods in the village itself in Sangi and Pataguda with the sacred water they have collected from a stream unlike in the past and added that drought made the Adivasis financially so weak and can’t afford celebration with non – vegetarian feast now”, Thanaji observed.

Sidam Devrao of Jainoor said, a team of Adivasi elders of Ushegoan and Para brought sacred water from Toplakasa (sacred stream) near Dabholi and gave bath to Bheemalpen in the village itself and asked how Advasis can celebrate their traditional festivals when they had no crops, no money and no water due to drought.

Adivasis had incurred huge crop loss in the last Kharif and Rabi due to drought and pest attack after investing a lot.  They were also unable to get fresh crop loans due to pending loans.

Adivasi leader Atram Bhujangarao of Utnoor said that the drought has started  having an impact on their lifestyle. He said that Adivasis generally did not celebrate marriages without “Pari Bakra” (non-vegetarian food) but in the last two months, most marriages had only served vegetarian food.

He added that they had also performed a mass marriage to nine couples to reduce the expenditure in Ginnedhari village in Tiryani mandal. He said that the drought would now start affecting the health of children, pregnant and lactating women and elderly persons who were anemic.

Jugnaka Laxmi Bai of Bheemjiguda of Narnoor mandal said, some of the poor Adivasis especially primitive Kolam tribals were not in a position to take Jonna Ambali (liquid made of jowars) and struggling to meet both ends due to drought.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) has failed to provide the work to the Adivasis in the tribal areas though the scheme is aimed to prevent migrations and to provide work to the poor in the villages during the summer. The Adivasis have also not gained much from the collection of minor forest produce from the forests this summer.

The Adivasis have appealed the state government to supply traditional food grains such as Maize and Jowar in addition to the regular ration to save them from the ill- effects of the drought and prevent them falling prey to the seasonal diseases in the coming rainy season.