B

hikhodi, (mainly) a night

festival in Lata

Where villagers have two

houses

One for summer and one

for winter

That night festival in Lata

When a prominent married daughter

visited her parent’s place

When some harvest was ready

When time was to sow a new crop

That night festival in Lata

Where return of the prominent native was

celebrated

Where divine natives moved between

temporary and permanent places in a

pageant like annual festival

That night festival in Lata

Where everything was cyclic

Like natural cycle of life

Where the season of a year that went away

came back

That night festival in Lata

That was not visible from the road despite

standing by the road in Thua

That was the starting point of a steep hike

up to Chopta

That was an open air square surrounded by

sheltered places for audience on two sides,

the temple on one side, and a public water

point on the fourth side

That probably prevented the sounds and

festivities crossing its borders

That night festival in Lata

Where neither of the houses had a water

tap

Because of water shortage in summer

That stirred fear among residents about

misuse of in-house water taps

They thought

That the taps may be manipulated by some,

especially, in summer

Leaving others without water

Leading to fights, stress, and tension

That long festival in April

Energetic long performances and rituals

concentrated in five days in the last week

It was a show of local art, beliefs,

craftsmanship, recitation skills

That night festival in Lata

Where local boys and men participated in

all performances

Where local women were mere spectators

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Volume 4, Issue 1 | June 2019