In the Munda community, the time for playing Dhausi begins with Lakshmi Puja. Just as the Bhaili festival begins with Lakshmi Puja, this community also worships 'Lakhkhi'.
What you should know
From the evening of Laxmi Puja, the rhythm of drums begins to resonate in the courtyard of the Munda settlement in Mechinagar-7. Along with the beat of traditional baja, men dressed in kurtas, dhoti and turbans dance in unison. The courtyard is covered with cow dung and a line drawn with rice flour is drawn, the original cultural identity of the Munda community, 'Dhausi'.
The marginalized indigenous Munda community of Jhapa plays Deusi in a different style. Which they call ‘Dhausi’. For them, Dhausi is not just a fun festival during Tihar, but a tradition that is intertwined with cultural existence.
From Laxmi Puja to Bhai Tika, they enjoy the rhythm of drums, nagara, madal and jhyamta. ‘Where we are, Dhausi is a cultural belief started by our ancestors along with dance and singing,’ says Bandhan Kumar, a leader of the Munda community. ‘We have preserved this tradition till now.’
Dhausi linked to Lakkhi and Goriya Puja
In the Munda community, the time for playing Dhausi begins with Lakkhi Puja. Just as the Bhaili starts to be performed from Lakkhi Puja, this community also worships ‘Lakhkhi’. On this day, every family worships their fields, cows, grains and homes. The next day, after the 'Goriya Puja' or the cow worship on the Hali Tihar festival, they gather to play Dhausi.
In the Dhausi, which lasts for three days, a group of men play instruments, while women stand in a row and dance. The lyrics of the songs are also in their original language. Dhausi is carried from house to house in their community. 'We, the hill community, do not go to play Dhausi all of a sudden,' said Jamunadevi, the leader of the Munda community, 'The hill people have their own Deusi, we play our Dhausi only in our own.'
Dung-covered courtyard, rice line and Jaand-ko Thal
Another interesting tradition associated with Dhausi is 'Jaand-ko Thal and Dhak-ko Khel'. A line is drawn in a courtyard covered with dung with rice flour. A paddy is placed in the middle of it. A jharke plate filled with jaggery is placed on the rice. A copper coin (dhak) is placed inside the plate. Those who want to get that money have to participate in a game. The game is simple but fun. The participants have to drink the jharke plate while sleeping. Then they have to take out the money from the plate by squeezing it with their teeth. ‘This is a tradition created by our ancestors,’ says Bandhan Kumar, ‘in addition to entertainment, it also has a symbolic meaning, that only hard work and patience can bring results.’
After the Dhausi is over, the team blesses the household with rice and flowers. According to Bishwadev Munda, chairman of the Munda Utthan Samiti Jhapa, it is believed that keeping the rice and flowers given by the Dhausi team at home will increase wealth. That is why all households must take this blessing.
According to 72-year-old Phagu Munda, earlier, the Munda settlements of Jhapa used to dance all night in the lake of Dhausi. Now that charm is gone. ‘All our traditions and culture are gradually disappearing,’ said Phagu, an elder of the community. ‘The old generation is dying, the new generation has stopped caring.’ According to him, when he was young, the sound of Dhausi was heard louder than Deusi. He recalls, ‘Nowadays, it is difficult to find a hand playing the dhol.’ He says that the influence of modern entertainment is increasing over traditional culture in the society. ‘Earlier, there was a dhol in every house in the village. The sound of the dhol would start resounding months before the arrival of Tihar,’ he adds, ‘But, now mobile phones have taken that place.’
He says that Dhausi is a symbol of social unity along with dance and song in the Munda community. However, leaders like him are worried as this tradition is slowly disappearing. The Munda Utthan Samiti Jhapa has been making various efforts to revive Dhausi in recent years. Training the youth of the community to play the instrument, collecting the lyrics of the songs and preserving the costumes are being done. ‘We practice in groups every year on the day before Lakshmi Puja,’ says committee chairman Bishwadev Munda, ‘We are also teaching children so that they can carry this tradition forward.’ According to him, there are now very few people in the Munda settlement who know how to play the dhol, nagara and madal. Earlier, there were more than a hundred.
The rhythm and songs of Dhausi are not for entertainment. They reflect the life, labor and faith of the Munda community. The lyrics of the songs are mixed with farming, animal husbandry, love and faith in nature. At the end of Dhausi, the team visits all the houses in the village and distributes blessings. The householder honors the Dhausi team by giving them rice, money, and janda. They say that the transaction strengthens social ties more than financial ties. ‘Only when Dhausi is played does our village feel like a single family,’ says Phoolkumari Munda. ‘When people of all ages dance and laugh, the village becomes happy.’ After the Dhausi is over, a group feast is held in the main square of the village. At that time, the end of Tihar is announced amidst songs, dances, and laughter.
