Bhootha Kola...

The whole place was lit up with beautiful and colourful lanterns. Every now and then you could hear loud bangs which would end up as smoke. You could smell the gunpowder which was in the air.

Hundreds of people were either standing or sitting around a cleared area waiting in anticipation of something.

Inside the cleared area, on one side there was a man painting his face yellow. And on the other side there was an area where the idols are placed.

In a couple of hours, the man had finished painting his whole face and also put on two head-dresses.

You must be wondering what this is all about. Well every year, in the month of March, a Bhoota Kola is organised in Manipal.

What is the first thing that comes in your mind when you hear the word ‘Bhoota’? Well people usually misunderstand it to be ‘devil’ and equate Bhoota kola to devil worship. But it is nothing of that sort. It is something like ritualistic theatre.

Last night a few friends and I went to watch this event happening. At first I was slightly scared. But then I found it very interesting.

The man who painted his face was supposed to be a daiva, Babbu Swami. He started by taking the blessings of the god and then his elders. He then entered the cleared area and started dancing to the music that was provided by the traditional musicians. As he dances, he slowly starts getting into a trance and gets possessed by Babbu Swami.

He keeps dancing up and down the area and then goes to the organisers and the people who are responsible for the event and blesses them. Later he puts on something that is similar to a grass skirt. And ties a traditional back piece of metalwork.

All this goes on for hours till early morning, when he goes to the main organisers house and drinks milk. He then comes back and answers questions that are put forward by the public.

All this made me think of the many people who are directly or indirectly affected by the performance. They are usually not talked much about. Right from the people who make the crackers, the musicians, to the people who make the metal ornament that are worn by the performers.