When I visited Siala, a village near Santiniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal, INDIA village, A group of villagers preparing to celebrat ‘Bhadu’. ‘Bhadu’ is the social festival of South Bengal. The festival starts from the first day of Bhadro, the fifth month in Bengali Calendar and continues till the end of the month. The month of Bhadra, considered to be a period of recess and lax within the farmer-centric community in this small river side village Siala, encompasses the agricultural festival of Bhadu. Basically, Bhadu is the Goddess of wealth for the farmers.
A boy or a girl dresses-up and make over as Bhadumoni. It has its origins in the story of a princess called Bhadravati (Bhadresvari) of Panchakote who committed suicide. Bhadravati's devotees make an idol of her and sing and dance before it throughout the month. The idol of which is designed in the model of a dancing girl with a lovely face and affectionate eyes. In the form of the common girl next door, the Bhadu God attracts masses. The rural community chose this simple appearance of its God as a mark of respect for the human being and its various phases in life- pains, gains, joys and sorrows; thereby stressing on the fact that a human being only is the God for a human being. The Bhadu idol is the reflection of a superior human being.
On the last day of Bhadra, they gather on the river bank and immerse the idol in the water. Now, this practice is disappearing in our society. People are more and more interested in digital media and entertainment. No, place for our age old cultural festivals.
