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<h2><a id="27423" linktype="page">‘Amma gets angry and goes away to the sea’</a></h2><p>In the Tamil month of Maasi, the Irular community gathers on the beaches of Mamallapuram near Chennai to appease their goddess Kanniamma and bring her home to worship. All along the waterfront, priests are solemnising weddings, naming babies and offering blessings<br/></p><h5>March 12, 2024 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/smitha-tumuluru/">Smitha Tumuluru</a></h5>

<h2><a id="26812" linktype="page">In Gangrel: dance of the displaced deity</a></h2><p>In southern Chhattisgarh, Gangrel madai is a day-long festival celebrated by Gond adivasis who come from all across the state<br/></p><h5> January 31, 2024 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/purusottam-thakur/">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

<h2><a id="25431" linktype="page">Ugadi celebrations, power and identity</a></h2><p>The annual Ugadi festival in Andhra Pradesh&#39;s Medapuram is a grand affair, organised by the Madiga community who brought the idol to their town<br/></p><h5>October 27, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/naga-charan/">Naga Charan</a></h5>

<h2><a id="24789" linktype="page">Athipattu&#39;s idol maker keeps fisherfolk safe</a></h2><p>In Thiruvallur district, Dilli anna gives life to Kannisamy – the guardian deity of fishing communities in north Chennai. The idols are made using clay and paddy husk, both of which are becoming increasingly difficult to source in the rapidly urbanising area</p><h5>September 18, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/m-palani-kumar/">M. Palani Kumar</a></h5>

<h2><a id="24482" linktype="page">&#39;Our mud idol was replaced with a stone one’</a></h2><p>In Tamil Nadu’s Bangalamedu village, an Irular community witnesses a slow transition in familiar ways of worshipping and celebrating their beloved goddess<br/></p><h5>August 31, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/smitha-tumuluru/">Smitha Tumuluru</a></h5>

<h2><a id="24148" linktype="page">The firecracker artisans of Tulunadu</a></h2><p>In one of the many syncretic traditions of Karnataka, it is Muslim men who make and throw firecrackers for religious and cultural events across faiths. A film on garnal saibers and this unusual art</p><h5>August 7, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/faisal-ahmed/">Faisal Ahmed</a></h5>

<h2><a id="23952" linktype="page">Chadar Badni puppets at Santhal festival</a></h2><p>Tapan Murmu is a young Santhal Adivasi farmer in Birbhum who also performs with puppets during the harvest festival – an art he worries has few takers among his generation<br/></p><h5>July 21, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/smita-khator/">Smita Khator</a> </h5>

<h2><a id="22746" linktype="page">Raas Mahotsav and the satras of Majuli</a></h2><p>This annual festival in Assam is a much-anticipated event with performances held across many venues. Migration and fading interest from the younger generation is making it difficult to find performers<br/></p><h5>May 19, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/prakash-bhuyan/">Prakash Bhuyan</a></h5>

<h2><a id="22296" linktype="page">Bhutas of Tulunadu: spirit of syncretic tradition</a></h2><p>In this region of Karnataka that lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea, different communities come together for bhuta worship. A film on the heritage of Syed Nasir and his musical troupe who perform at these rituals</p><h5>April 26, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/faisal-ahmed/">Faisal Ahmed</a></h5>

<h2><a id="20673" linktype="page">Celebrating Saga Dawa in Ladakh</a></h2><p>This is an important festival for Tibetan Buddhists here in Hanle River Valley. In the first celebration after the pandemic, six hamlets come together amidst the beating of drums and blowing of trumpets<br/></p><h5>January 16, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/ritayan-mukherjee/">Ritayan Mukherjee</a></h5>

<h2><a id="20231" linktype="page">Bastar’s bamboo-barrelled guns</a></h2><p>At the annual Goncha festival in Chhattisgarh, local Adivasi communities have a unique guard of honour<br/></p><h5>November 29, 2022 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/thamir-kashyap/">Thamir Kashyap</a></h5>

<h2><a id="19674" linktype="page">The little Ganesh near Sainagar dargah</a></h2><p>A favourite of children in Andhra&#39;s Anantapur town, Vinayaka Chavithi festivities go on for a few more weeks<br/></p><h5>November 16, 2022 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/rahul-m/">Rahul M.</a></h5>

<h2><a id="19809" linktype="page">Crafting Diwali diyas for eight decades in Vizag</a></h2><p>S. Paradesam has made lakhs of diyas to light up homes celebrating Diwali. The 92-year-old is the last potter in Visakhapatnam’s Kummari Veedhi making lamps for the festival</p><h5>October 24, 2022 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/amrutha-kosuru/">Amrutha Kosuru</a></h5>

<h2><a id="19062" linktype="page">Marking Muharram in Suru valley</a></h2><p>The rituals of Muharram observed by Shia Muslims go on for days in Tai Suru village of Ladakh’s Kargil district. For the children, especially girls, it is a chance to meet friends and spend long hours together</p><h5>August 8, 2022 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/shubhra-dixit/">Shubhra Dixit</a></h5>

<h2><a id="16871" linktype="page">Kite makers craft Gujarat’s Sankranti skies</a></h2><p>The harsh lives of the women kite makers of Khambhat and Ahmedabad stand out in stark contrast against the brilliantly coloured skies they light up with their labour</p><h5>January 13, 2022 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/pratishtha-pandya/">Pratishtha Pandya</a></h5>

<h2><a id="15935" linktype="page">Dhakis for Durga: without skipping a drumbeat</a></h2><p>The drums of Agartala’s dhakis are already pounding, with Durga Puja beginning on October 11. At other times, these drummers ply cycle rickshaws, or work as vendors, farmers, plumbers and electricians</p><h5>October 8, 2021 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sayandeep-roy/">Sayandeep Roy</a></h5>

<h2><a id="14475" linktype="page">A billion salutations to Gautam Buddha</a></h2><p>wo mothers and their daughters, from Majalgaon in Beed district, sing in devotion to Gautam Buddha. Their songs highlight his presence in people&#39;s daily lives, and how he leads his followers through his teachings</p><h5>May 26, 2021 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/namita-waikar/">Namita Waikar</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/pari-grindmill-songs-project-team/">PARI GSP Team</a></h5>

<h2><a id="13870" linktype="page">‘Dancing like flowers in a garland’</a></h2><p>At celebrations and commemorations during the winter months, young men and women from Chhattisgarh&#39;s Gond community travel together to perform the Hulki Mandri and Kolang dances, and sing Rela songs<br/></p><h5>March 30, 2021 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/purusottam-thakur/">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

<h2><a id="11836" linktype="page">Vizag potters: idols of clay, immersion in debt</a></h2><p>The artisans in this AP city earn the most during the festival season – starting with Ganesh Chaturthi this week. But they have not received a single bulk order for Ganesh idols and other products so far this year</p><h5>August 22, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/amrutha-kosuru/">Amrutha Kosuru</a></h5>

<h2><a id="11735" linktype="page">A melting pot of lockdown losses</a></h2><p>The Ganpati festival starting this week, then Durga Puja and Diwali, were peak seasons for potters in Delhi&#39;s Uttam Nagar. Now, they are looking at a period of poor sales, as are potters in Kachchh and West Bengal</p><h5>August 17, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/srishti-verma/">Srishti Verma</a></h5>

<h2><a id="11521" linktype="page">Daivas, dance and divine intervention</a></h2><p>In this centuries-old ritual event in Karnataka&#39;s Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, impersonators tell stories of forgotten heroes from Dalit communities, solve disputes, and provide catharsis</p><h5>July 30, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/nidhi-shetty/">Nidhi Shetty</a></h5>

<h2><a id="11346" linktype="page">In Odisha, celebrating against the grain</a></h2><p>In Odisha’s Kandhamal district, Adivasi women have preserved indigenous seeds for generations; at an annual festival, they come together to discuss and exchange seeds through rituals and celebration<br/></p><h5>July 18, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/rakhi-ghosh/">Rakhi Ghosh</a></h5>

<h2><a id="10212" linktype="page">The ‘people’s god’ of Suryapet</a></h2><p>Tens of thousands of pilgrims come from the villages of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to the Urs of Hazrat Janpak Shaheed – many drawn by an enduring faith in the dargah, some for brisk business at the venue<br/></p><h5>February 27, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/harinath-rao-nagulavancha/">Harinath Rao Nagulavancha</a></h5>

<h2><a id="7764" linktype="page">Fuming and fearsome, dancing and whipping</a></h2><p>During the Bonalu festival every year, Posani Ashwin, an auto-parts dealer in Hyderabad, transforms into the Pothuraju, a deity believed to ward off diseases – &#39;possessed&#39;, he blesses and enthralls the crowds<br/></p><h5>September 26, 2019 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sreelakshmi-prakash/">Sreelakshmi Prakash</a></h5>

<h2><a id="7656" linktype="page">The designers of Dhoolpet’s deities</a></h2><p>An array of artisans, most of them migrants, come to Hyderabad months before the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi festival to make idols, but say the work is not regular now due to cheaper items in the market</p><h5>September 6, 2019 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sreelakshmi-prakash/">Sreelakshmi Prakash</a></h5>

<h2><a id="6512" linktype="page">God’s own dressmakers in Madurai</a></h2><p>The historic Azhagar festival in Madurai – its last day is today, April 22 – includes a huge procession where some devotees sport colourful costumes. But who their dressmakers are is even more interesting</p><h5>April 22, 2019 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/kavitha-muralidharan/">Kavitha Muralidharan</a></h5>

<h2><a id="5608" linktype="page">Recalling a recent Diwali in a Warli hamlet</a></h2><p>Away from the fireworks and city lights, in an Adivasi pada just outside Mumbai, my family celebrated Diwali this year like they do every year, with traditional delicacies, community rituals, reverence of nature, and joy<br/></p><h5>November 22, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/mamta-pared/">Mamta Pared</a></h5>

<h2><a id="5501" linktype="page">Performing Ramkatha in a changed Ayodhya</a></h2><p>During the Dussehra month, the ragtag Ramkatha Singing Party dashes off from stage to stage, before returning to their day jobs, even as the retelling of the epic is engulfed by contemporary politics</p><h5>October 19, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/joydip-mitra/">Joydip Mitra</a></h5>

<h2><a id="5499" linktype="page">Marking a different milestone on Dussehra</a></h2><p>In 1956, on Dussehra day, Dr. Ambedkar publicly rejected the Hindu faith. Radhabai Borhade and Walhabai Takankhar sing about this landmark event and of Buddha’s renunciation, for the Grindmill Songs Project</p><h5>October 18, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/namita-waikar/">Namita Waikar</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/pari-grindmill-songs-project-team/">PARI GSP Team</a></h5>

<h2><a id="5371" linktype="page">Bengal meets Baroda to sculpt Ganpati idols</a></h2><p>Migrant artisans from West Bengal blend idol-making styles in Vadodara, where some, like Tapan Mondal, run signature workshops, while many also work as farm labourers, house painters or in other jobs</p><h5>September 17, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/ujjawal-krishnam/">Ujjawal Krishnam</a></h5>

<h2><a id="5271" linktype="page">Summit of the ancestor gods at Semargaon</a></h2><p>Every four years, Gond Adivasis bring their clan’s deities to a festival in Semargoan village of Chhattisgarh to make offerings to their ancestors, seek their advice and create a space for the ‘deceased’ to mingle too<br/></p><h5>August 27, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/purusottam-thakur/">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

<h2><a id="4711" linktype="page">Gathering at the campfires of Niyamgiri</a></h2><p>At the Niyamgiri plateau in Odisha, the Dongria Kondhs gather for a colourful festival every year. But with ever-present threats of mining, this celebration also speaks of a growing need to protect their homeland<br/></p><h5>April 27, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/purusottam-thakur/">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

<h2><a id="4636" linktype="page">&#39;Someday we will be accepted&#39;</a></h2><p>The Koovagam festival in Tamil Nadu, which ends on April 25 this year, draws many transgender persons. They come here to sing, dance, cry and pray – but mostly, to be themselves without fear of ostracism</p><h5>April 23, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/ritayan-mukherjee/">Ritayan Mukherjee</a></h5>

<h2><a id="3901" linktype="page">&#39;Brother-sister are oranges from the same tree’</a></h2><p>For Diwali, here are 13 ovi related to Bhaubeej from the Grindmill Songs Project – celebrating the ties between brothers and sisters. The singer is Shahubai Kamble of Nandgaon village in Pune district</p><h5>October 19, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/namita-waikar/">Namita Waikar</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/pari-grindmill-songs-project-team/">PARI GSP Team</a></h5>

<h2><a id="3810" linktype="page">Melodies that thrive like marigold</a></h2><p>Dussehra, on September 30 this year, is celebrated in a few songs in the Grindmill Songs Project. This week, we feature three ovi sung in 1999 by Shahubai Kamble of Nandgaon village, that describe the festive rituals</p><h5>September 29, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/namita-waikar/">Namita Waikar</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/pari-grindmill-songs-project-team/">PARI GSP Team</a></h5>

<h2><a id="2611" linktype="page">Melodies of Mahila Holi in Munsiari</a></h2><p>In the villages of Uttarakhand&#39;s Kumaon region, Holi festivities are a time for women to dance and let their songs echo amid the mountains. A photo story for a PARI series on International Women’s Day<br/></p><h5>March 17, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/arpita-chakrabarty/">Arpita Chakrabarty</a></h5>

<h2><a id="2603" linktype="page">The song of Sohrai</a></h2><p>During the harvest festival in January, Santal women in Chirchirya hamlet in Bihar sing about their way of life while men play the instruments, and there is a feast and some mahua as well</p><h5>March 16, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/shreya-katyayni/">Shreya Katyayini</a></h5>

<h2><a id="2514" linktype="page">Kuttikkuthira of Kerala: children, chariots and festive cheer</a></h2><p>In Karthikappally and other villages along the backwaters of Alappuzha district in Kerala, children make their own chariots and participate with gusto in an annual ritualistic procession</p><h5>February 3, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sasikumar-vasudevan/">V. Sasikumar</a></h5>

<h2><a id="2018" linktype="page">Journey through Kumartuli</a></h2><p>At the centuries-old potters&#39; colony in Kolkata, artisans work through the night on the clay idols that they will soon send out to the city for Durga Puja<br/></p><h5>September 12, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sinchita-maji1/">Sinchita Parbat</a></h5>

<h2><a id="1477" linktype="page">When the cows come home in Parkidih</a></h2><p>During the &#39;go-bnadna&#39; festival – a time of earth colours, wall painting, music and games – the Santals of Purulia district in West Bengal offer thanks to their cows</p><h5>July 4, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/arunava-patra/">Arunava Patra</a></h5>

<h2><a id="1255" linktype="page">Ma Bonbibi, mother to humans and tigers</a></h2><p>The jungle goddess of the Sundarbans in West Bengal demands that Hindus and Muslims unite in upholding her pact with the animal kingdom<br/></p><h5>April 16, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/shatarupa-bhattacharyya/">Shatarupa Bhattacharyya</a></h5>

<h2><a id="1063" linktype="page">Devotion, perforation and pain in Purulia</a></h2><p>The Gajan ritual in West Bengal inverts caste hierarchies, if only for a fortnight<br/></p><h5>September 9, 2015 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/madhabi-maity/">Madhabi Maity</a></h5>

<h2><a id="619" linktype="page">A Sahariya Holi</a></h2><p>People of the Sahariya community of Baran district in Rajasthan – among the poorest districts in the state – prepare to celebrate Holi and the harvest<br/></p><h5>June 11, 2015 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sweta-daga/">Sweta Daga</a></h5>

<h2><a id="273" linktype="page">The Tubri competition</a></h2><p>The Purbannapara community of Makardah village in West Bengal holds an annual &#39;protijogita&#39; for making the brightest and biggest &#39;tubri&#39; or firework-candle</p><h5>December 23, 2014 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/madhusree-mukerjee/">Madhusree Mukerjee</a></h5>

<h2><a id="97" linktype="page">Hoisa Shigmo!</a></h2><p>Goa&#39;s &#39;Hindu carnival&#39; -- a traditional folk festival -- only has men participants<br/></p><h5>December 20, 2014 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/shalini-singh/">Shalini Singh</a></h5>

Festivals and the folks who fashion them

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Festivals and the folks who fashion them

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