GurahiParva and My Village

HrishteenaKariyapradhanTharu,

 My village is very small town or it is a small place where many different castes and religious people live. At past my village named as “Tulsipur” and now my village is called as “Theawai”.

It is located in Ghodaghodi Municipality Ward No. 10 PahalmanpurKailali. It is 50 KM East from Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan.

At past, the British companies made a way to go our village and they cut the trees and transfer the wood by that way to go their place. So that, “thea” means place (thau) and “wai” means (way).

Our ancestor had told us about it and they believe that it is a true story. But I am not sure that it is true or not. I just heard from my father.

At past in my village there were only few (4 or 5) farmer. It was very small village where few people lived. Then many people migrated and started to live happy life pulse peoplehave different type of tradition and religion in their own way. Slowly many farmers established and now there are more than one hundred farmers in my village.

My village was not developed and the road was duff what to tell it was very bad. There were many holes and it was hard to run vehicles even it was hard to walk. Now it has been constructed and day by day my village is developing rapidly.

The people (neighborhood) live happily in the village. They help each other when someone is in problem or someone is in need or need something. The batter system has not been gone. It is also now practiced in some places of my village.  Like at past my grand ma gave two cup of rice to another woman and that woman gave some small kind of fish (shidra called in tharu) to my granny.

But now only in few place it is practiced so it is not a problem. The main problem is Dhami-jhakri. Yap, you know many of the people went to Dhami-jhakri when they are sick instead of going to hospital or a clinics. They believe that Dhami-jhakri can recover the wounds but it may be pressure to the injurious person and it may also lit suicide.

Now many people are going to hospital instead of it. But in some of the places it is practiced.

In my village we live together as a family. We enjoy and celebrate every festival, every event, every sorrow and many more. We live in a small community and share good ideas to one another to develop something small thing too.

As I said that we celebrate and enjoy every festival so yap there is a “Tharu” festival called as “Gurahi” and it is also very near. I think it is day after tomorrow. So, let’s discuss something about it.

I don’t know much about it. I consult with my father for some information of it. He gave me some idea of this festival “Gurahi”. It is just a common festival.Tharu Community celebrates as first festival after that starts other festival one by one.It is celebrated by only the unmarried girls or women. At past, when all the people finished the field (DhanRopai) then they celebrate that event (completing of dhanropai) and it is called as in tharu “Harduwa” or “Hardauwa”.

People celebrate in same day as “Gurahi” and they kill pigs, hens, goats, sheep and many more. They cook and distribute equal amount of meat and they all sit around a big ground and enjoy their meal. People share their happiness and sorrowsduring the celebration. They sing and dance and enjoy in their own group.

People make puppets (Gurahi) and some delicious food items and unmarried girls and women were the traditional dresses (Lehenga and Choli).Female throw the puppets (Gurahi) and the male hit the puppets with hand make sticks.

Our ancestors believe that when they hit puppets our sorrow, problems, flues, evils, pandemic and diseases will go away. They follow from generation to generation.So, we should also follow our culture and ancestor’s traditions.

We conduct formal a program of Gurahi and somedeliver a long lecture how to protect or preserve the festivals. And I think there is no one to hear their long and bore lecture. People are bored by that lecture. I am not saying that stop the speech. I am just saying that just tell the main points a short speech with every single main points. You don’t have to give a long lecture that will bore people and time will also waste so, in my opinion just give a short speech regarding an importance of Gurahi festival.

And one more thing people should be more attentive toward the speeches and traditional dances. People are like they are forced to watch the dance or force to attend the program.They are like in their own world. So,tharu community is back.

We have to watch and understand them what is this. If you didn’t understand just ask what is it?Just there is no one to raise the hand.

I just searched “GurahiParba” in internet (Google), I didn’t not get anything I just got some photos and some videos. There was no article documents wrote about “GurahiParba”. I was like hmmm is there not thing about Gurahi.

No one had written about gurahi am I the only one. So, there are only my words that I understand about gurahi. Uff, we are very back. We even don’t know how to protect culture and traditions. I am not just telling tharus only I am telling to whole community to preserve their own cultures and traditions.

So, I also have to preserve my traditions and cultures. I also don’t know much Tharu language as much I know English and Nepali but my mother-tongue is Tharu and I cannot speak Tharu properly. This is also the lack of respecting the tradition.

In my society, there are not much tharu where I living. So, we have to respect our mother tongue. Yup, there is coming to Gurahi festival and its lockdown time;government has also announced that there will not be any type of public program. So, we have to celebrate by our own at your own home in community place with maintains social distance.

These are all my own opinion so, don’t let me bad.