Chapter - VIII INDUSTRIALIZATION, URBANIZATION AND CULTURE Table-8.1 List of Important Fairs & Melas ofDurgapur Region SI. Name of place where Time Local religious or Duration of Average No. Mela or Fair is held (English other occasion of the Mela or attendance (location) month when the Mela Fair (days) Mela is held) A. Ondal Police Station (i) Mahal January Rayanti Puja 7 8,000 (ii) Pandabeswar a Siva puja 1 2,000 (iii) Kajora March Siva Gajan 3 8,000 (iv) Ramprosadpur a Siva Gajan 2 3,000 (v) Khandra Kali puja 2 3,000 (vi) Ondal South Bazar April Mahabirjhanda 3 1,500 (vii) Dakhsin Khanda >> Siva puja 4 5,000 (viii) Ukhra June Rathajatra 1 8,000 (ix) Ukhra July Jhulanjatra 4 15,000 B.& Faridpur & Durgapur C. Police Station (i) Sagarbhanga April Gajan 2 3000 (ii) Mejidihi a Dharmaraj 2 3000 (iii) Nadiha a Siva Gajan 2 1500 (iv) Faridpur a Dharmaraj 2 1500 (v) Ichhapur May Ganga puja 3 3000 (vi) Sarpi »> Ganga puja 3 5000 (vii) Durgapur June Rathajatra 1 5000 (viii) Kataberia ” Rathajatra 1 1500 (ix) Kataberia October Gosthastami 2 1000 Mela (x) Kataberia November Gostha Mela 7 3000 (xi) Waria » Gostha Mela 3 3000 Contd. 476 Table (Contd.) SI. Name of place where Time(English Local religious or Duration of Average No. Mela or Fair is held month when other occasion of the Mela or attendance (location) Mela is held) the Mela Fair (days) D. Kaksa Police Station (i) Babnabera January Paush Sankranti 4 3,000 (ii) Silampur Makar Sankranti 3 3,000 (hi) Gopalpur February Maghi Saptami 1 6,000 (iv) Arra March Siva Ratri Mela 1 8,000 (v) Gopalpur Chaitra Sankranti 4 6,000 [Source: - Field Survey] Typical Hindu festival like Makar Sankranti, held on the last day of the Bengali month of Paush (Jan - Feb) on river banks though connected with the sun, can in no way be associated with the Vedic and Brahminical forms of worship to Sun. Babnabera, Silampur village of Kaksa police-station and Pandabeswar of Ondal police-station observe this occasion with related fair in those villages. Local festival of the Mahal village of Ondal police station is Rayanti Puja.Large fair is also held on every year. The Sivaratri or Siva- Chaturdasi festival held on the fourteenth night of the new moon in Bengali month of Phalgun (Feb - March), Radheswar or Kaleswar Siva of Arra village of Kaksa police station deserves special mention, whose worship with great ceremony takes place during this time period. A large fair is held in that area every year with great joy. It is primarily a female’s festival as they perform most of the connected rituals. Maghi-Saptami festival of Gopalpur in Kaksa police station is another important festival of Vaishnava community. Note: [According to 1991, census previous Andal police station is divided into (a) Pandebeswar police station, (b) Ondal police station under. Ondal Community Development Block] 477 A view of the Gopinathji Temple located at Ukhra. Deity Dharma has a great influence in the cultural life of the village Religion plays an important role in village life. Archeological evidence proved the spread of Jainism in this Asansol-Durgapur region. station, Kataberia of Faridpur police station and in present Durgapur city limit. Fair is held in each area on the occasion of such worship of deity. Jhulan-yatra which is another important festival related with Lord Krishna occurred in the full moon day of Srabana (July - August) is observed in Ukhra and attract large number of people from the whole region. Gopinathji’s temple of Ukhra is the main attraction of this festival. A large fair (mela) is held in every year near temple. Durga puja and Kali puja are the most important festival of Bengal. Gostha mela related with ‘Bhagabati’ (Cow) and Lord Krishna another important festival of this region occurred in the Bengali month of Aswina or Karticka (Oct -Nov) in Kateberia and Waria village of Faridpur police station. Other important festivals of this region are worship of the goddess Chandi. Majority of Chandi praised is in village deities with their modest shrines located under shady trees. Most of these deities have representational forms installed stones serve to represent the divinities. Jaliya (Fishermen), Kaibartas, Bagdis and other untouchables and Sakta (Tantric Brahmin) take direct interest in the worship of Chandi. The female divinity Manasa is a very influential divinity especially among the so- called untouchable and lower castes of Durgapur region. Manasa or Bishari is conceived as the Goddess of Serpents. The annual festival of Manasa celebrated with live snakes is known as ‘Jhapan Utsava’. On this particular occasion, some of the people undergo voluntary physical penance; they mostly come from the untouchable castes like Dom, Hari, Bagdi, Kaibartas, Muchi and others. Muslim festival also observed in this study region. There are old and often derelict mosques, dargas, khanquas and astanas of the local Muslim saints spread all over the Durgapur region. The early Muslim warrior or saints who helped to spread of Islam in the hitherto unconquered territories become in course of time deified martyrs or heroes and become 479 Pirs.There were the Sufi mystics, who by their way of life become objects of veneration during their life times and become Pirs. In Durgapur sub-division at the village Silampur of Kaksa, police station area there is a Pir and perhaps the only Pir of some importance. Kaksa police station has by far the largest concentration of Muslims among the whole sub-division. (b) Non-Religious Fairs (Melas): Science and industrial exhibition, book fair, cottage industry and handicraft fair, expo all are the common features like other urban centres in the place like Durgapur city. Generally, temporary offshoots of the main business area are setup at fair ground to cater to the needs of the visitors. They also attracted large number of people from the surrounding rural areas of the whole subdivision. However, the present scenario is changing from the past. Improvement of communication, metalled road, electrification, water supply - all these amenities change slowly. Agro-based rural appeal of all this fair or mela was the main attraction. Rapid urbanization in slow pace changes the culture of the rural people. Traditional agro-based life has slowly transformed into highly improved modem non-traditional industry based life style. Due to improved irrigation facilities, high yielding varieties of seeds, used of ha* chemical fertilizers and other improved technology,, changed/ the mono cropping area into multiple cropping area. In the old days, farmers and those who directly engaged with agricultural activities after harvesting the crops, from weeks to month they celebrated crop-harvesting cultural festivals including songs with music and dance. However, present day less time-consuming ready-made movie or video are much preferred by them in leisure time for entertainment purpose. Traditional folk culture is slowly sinking below the time. 480 Folk Culture: Present Durgapur city is a multiple of townships surrounded by rural villages. The region has traditional rich folk culture including various songs, dance, yatra, drama, theatre and others. Folk songs: Generally, folk songs are not written, based mainly upon the changing face of nature and every day’s human life. Although sometimes they are based on religious matter or our epics, but the main theme of these songs is the philosophy of human life. No religious boundaries are demarcated in these songs. From the literary point of view they are less qualitative but much more hearty as it extract all its element from our daily socio­ cultural life and they express all theme very lucidly that it goes deep inside in our heart. Bawool: Bawool is one of the religious community of Bengal. The main ethics of this community is the realization of eternal power in our heart through songs and dance. No written songs are in vogue among them. As there is no caste barrier both Hindu and Muslim, people are follower of the Bawool community. The annual festival of them held at Kenduli Mela of Birbhum district in West Bengal on the bank of River Ajay near the birthplace of Poet Joydeb who was famous for his literature “Geet Govinda”. He was the pioneer of this community. Large fair held in the first day of Bengali month Magha (Jan) in this place every year. Large number of people gathered here from neighboring district and some distant place also. Present Durgapur city has great impact in this mela. In the pre-barrage period, this was nothing but only a rural mela but after rapid industrialization and consequence urbanization improved transportation and communication facilities electricity, water supply and other amenities changed the rural atmosphere of this mela. Durgapur barrage cum bridge has made possible easy communication with Bankura and other districts. Of West Bengal. Sibpur village of Kaksa police station stands just opposite of Joydeb-Kenduli village on the bank of river Ajay that is only 16 kms. away from Durgapur railway station. 481 Ferry is available at the Ajay ghat. Spontaneous song of Bawool community is available in the concrete stage at present day. Simplicity of this Kenduli Bawool Mela lost its track under artificial atmosphere influenced by urbanization. Gajjan (Sun festival): This type of songs is used purely in religious festivals or in social function. Most important of this is Charak festival, which is held on the last day of Bengali month Chaitra (April) This type of folk songs mainly, praised the transformed form of the Sun God - Lord Shiva and Mother Nature - Parvati. Mainly farmers and their family praised both the Sun God (Shiva) and the Mother Nature (Parvati) for successful cropping year.