Guilty Males and Proud Females: Negotiating Genders in a Bengali Festival

Ferrari looks into the festival through its study at a specific village in the Radh region and examines the basic concepts of the Gajan festival which dominates its primary idea of existence and the perception of the images of Gods and Goddess lying within. As the agricultural calendar of the Bengali year comes to a completion in the middle of the month of April, time renews itself. This is a special time not only for the state of West Bengal in India, but Bengali’s all across the globe. The celebration of the year-end of the Sakabda (the Bengali lunar calendar) marks a specific significant festival as the fields await a fresh start for the following agricultural season. The Chadak (spelled Charak) puja marks the occasion of the festivals that follow. Held on the last day of the month or Sankranti of the last month of the year- Caitra (spelled- Chaitra), the festival thus, celebrates Caitra Sangkranti. The event marks the observation of several Gajan festivals and each observes a union of the powers of life- primarily the sun and earth. Thus, the festival of Gajan, forms an important part of the folk festivals of West Bengal even in present times. In respect of its basic concept, the Gajan celebrates the marriages of the male forces of Siva, Nil or Dharmaraj with their respective consorts. In the process, it signifies the union of the forces of sun and earth At several instances, the festival continue till the beginning of the rainy season in Asad (spelled Ashad) in the region and thus, it is often considered to worship the deities for a hopeful and better rainy season for a good upcoming harvest. The festival is primarily arranged on the premises of the Siva temples and the people taking part are mendicants, who are referred as sanyasis. Posing as the ardent followers of Lord Shiva, they try to appease the gods through various methods of penance, like self-piercing tongues, ears, limbs, lips, forehead, stomach or walking on hot coal or jumping, walking and lying on thorns. The Chadak puja, which is observed at the occasion marks taking the deity and other belongings out of the temple premises and taking them across the village and sometimes to the next villages. The mendicants and others follow- often dressed as the followers of Siva- as ghosts, monsters and demons and narrating stories of Siva’s marriage to his consort Parvati, his agricultural activities and various incidents from his life, which often resemble those of the day-to-day life of the people of the village. At most places, the festival lasts for three days amidst much merrymaking, fairs and people of all ages attending across villages. Ferrari’s study of a village in the Radh region of West Bengal, brings to the global audience, the essence of the festival, its celebration for Dharma Gajan and its essence and concept, which looks into the aspect of life. The chapters of the book go on to lucidly explain the significance of this village festival- which survives as an important part of the folk tradition of India even in present times. The detailing of the chapters also helps to render a look into the customs of the region, which also is an individual aspect in itself and often connects to the neighbouring states of India. The book also tries to render an aspect of understanding the roles of both sexes in the festival and the importance of the act of body-piercing and process of inflicting self-injury to one-self during the festival. Thus, in the process of its presentation, the book attempts to analyse the gender discourses of the region and how the festival actually functions as a near-role reversal for both the sexes with the men attempting to experience the pains of womanhood, including childbirth and women announcing a pivotal role in the society which is a patriarchal one. Such an attempt also speaks of rendering an analysis of genders and its present role in the region. The analysis attempts to specify an interesting approach towards the understanding of self-inflicting pain in the festival. The book is essentially useful for anybody who wants to study the culture and society of South Asia, especially pertaining to folk traditions and their modes of survival in present times, however some parts and aspects of the chapterisation could have been rephrased. This could have avoided rendering irreverent and glorious touches to the study of folk traditions of India, which often leads to misleading conceptions. The festival of Gajan exists for a long time and probably has no written record to indicate its time of origin in the region, but nevertheless, the very essence of the notion signifies a concept of hope, adulation, anxiety and a belief for a better tomorrow at the very beginning of the agricultural season. This also brings forth images of the festivals that follow in later months, as a result of the expecting union of the forces of life. Though the recordings of the festival are aplenty in local dialects and amidst local historians, there are some significant recent works which have also tried to highlight the event on a global scale. Ferrari’s work can be cited amongst them, but should be referred by a fieldworker only after experiencing the event for him/herself, to halt any misphrase spelled by the book and be guided only by the basic essence of the publication which tries to highlight a significant aspect of folk tradition of eastern India.