Dang Darbar Festival

Dang Darbar, the annual festival held at Ahwa every year a few days before Holi (February – March), offers an insight into the local folk culture of Dangs. The origin of the Dang Darbar may be traced back to a period just following the execution of forest leases by the British with the Dangi Chiefs in 1842. The Chiefs and Naiks were entitled to annual payment of the subsidy for their forest and Abkari rights, land revenue in the form of plough-tax, grazing fees on cattle and various Gira allowances from the surrounding States and the British territory. These payments were made annually to the Chiefs and Naiks by holding a Darbar of all Rajas, Naiks, Bhaubandhs and the Dangi people. The main objective of holding the Darbar was to collect all these persons at one place and to establish a rapport with them.

Although the British left in 1947, the Darbar continues to be held at Ahwa till date. Instead of the annual subsidy paid earlier, now the former Dangi Chiefs, Naiks and Bhaubandhs are paid the annual political pension in lieu of their rights and privileges. The Forest Department presents prizes to those villagers who have protected the forests around their village from fire. The Darbar is now held under the chairmanship of H.E. the Governor of Gujarat.

The week long celebration continues with dancing, music, folk instruments and theater. Nearly half the district’s population visits Ahwa during the Darbar week to visit the annual market and fair which accompanies the Darbar. Merchants from the surrounding region flock to sell their wares.

Dances of Dangs

Music and dance form an integral part of Dangi Life. Most often than not, Dangis don’t sing but dance. Nature, festivals and moonlit night are sufficient inspiration for their feet to move. Dancing is not just an art but a socio-religious activity for the tribals. As Verier Elvin has pointed out, it is an exercise in delight, a display of grace and vigor, a partnership of sexes in the intimacy of ordered rhythm. Important folk dances of Dangs include Pavri dance, Thakarya dance, Bhaya/Dungardev dance, Bohada dance and Madal dance.

Tadpa/Pavri Dance

Pavri dance – a dance full of energy, skill and enthusiasm has around 27 different chal or formations complemented with the music of dhol (drum) and pavri (a bagpipe). The names of the different chals are according to the steps involved or according to the bird or the beast which the movements of the dancers try to imitate. There are chals or tunes such as slow motion tune, two steps tune, three steps tune, wailing tune, the sparrow step tune, the crocodile step tune, chicken step tune, Jopio Chalo, Mohania Chalo, Morno Chalo, Bahino Chalo, Malino Chalo, Zavda Chalo, Dhobing Chalo, Thisra Chalo etc. Off late, Pavri dance has become synonymous with the term Dangi dance.

Thakarya Dance

Thakarya dance is a devotional dance dedicated to propitiation of rain-gods. Starting from the festival of ‘Tera’, this dance is performed till Diwali. Instead of kahalya and dholak, madal and tin are the instruments played during this dance. Villagers flock at one place after the dinner to view and perform this dance. Only males participate in the dance. Among the performers, one plays madal, the other plays tin, few others sing and rest of them dance. It starts with a “Naman Geet”, a song that greets and worships various tribal Gods. During the Namangeet, all the performers sit together and sing. Namangeet starts with salutation towards mother Earth, followed by cow, Kanasari Devi, Vagh Dev, Nag Dev, Son, Moon, Gam Dev, Hanumandada etc. Towards the end, they salute Dholi (one who plays Madal), dancers, singers, villagers and at last the viewers. Dancers then wear the anklets and start the actual dance. In this dance, dancers move in a circular form assuming virasan (warrior pose). First, they dance standing, then they dance bending and then with more force in Virasan. It is very strenuous and exhausting. Unlike other dances, singing is compulsory in this dance. An important characteristic of this dance is the tradition of ‘questions’ and ‘answers’ during the dance session.

Bhaya Dance

Bhaya nritya (bhacha chalo) is a devotional dance performed at the time of worship of ‘dungar dev’. Unlike other dances, no one can join this dance without taking bath and the dancer has to take meals once only. Instead of dholak and kahalya, pavri is the instrument used in this dance. All dancers sing short devotional songs and in between, shout ‘bi-lo-ri-sho’. The ‘bilori’ means the boundary of stones or hill. The names of gods residing in different hills are recited during the dance.

Bohada Dance

Bohoda or the mask dance is basically a dance of the Konknas adapted by other Dangi tribes over a period of time. One of the striking features of this dance is the use of masks. Different types of masks such as wooden masks, clay masks, bamboo masks, paper masche masks, leather masks etc. are used during this dance.

Wooden masks are generally made from the wood of pangara tree which is light in weight and easy for carving any shape. Bamboo mask is known as ‘thati’. These are used to mainly depict a large number of characters in one single mask. Examples of such masks are ‘Ranana that’, ‘Pandava thati’ and ‘Kaurava thati’. Paper Masche masks are prepared by soaking old newspaper pieces and fenugreek (methi) seeds in water for 10-15 days. The mixture is then ground into fine pulp and is spread in thick layers over the mask mould made of wet mud. Once thoroughly dried, the paper mask is taken off the mud mould. All the masks are usually decorated and painted.

Bohoda dance is performed in a village at night during Holi and Diwali season and generally runs for seven days. Dancers wear masks bought on rent. Facial images of both Tribal and Hindu deities and characters from famous epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are reflected in these masks. One can find images such as Ram, Hanuman, Ravana, Pandava, Kaurava, Ganesha, Agalya Ital (a tribal bhoot),  Khirad, Parsuram, Pundlik, Shravan and parents, Wagh, etc. as masks during the dance. Dholak, Kahalya and Pawri are the music instruments played during the dance. Since the written script is absent among tribals, Bohoda dance is a process of recreating oral history and folklore of the tribes.

Madal Dance

Madal dance is a combination of music, folk dance and folk drama known as “sohong”. Not particularly associated with any tribal festival, this folk dance is generally performed anytime, including special occasions like marriage. It starts after the dinner and runs through the night. A group of singer and a composer for ‘sohong’ stands in a straight line whereas the dancers, along with their madals, dance in a circular and various other geometrical patterns. Each folk song contains a tribal folklore. Adorned with traditional ornaments, dancers change the “chal” (formation) of the dance and “taal” of their madals with the complementary change in “raga” of the folksong.