Ode to the Serpent Goddess

Naushad Ali Husein 
relives a mythic river journey

For his father's refusal to worship the serpent goddess Manasa, Chand Soudagor's seventh and only surviving son, Lokhindar, lies bitten by a poisonous snake. His wife, Behula, refuses to accept his death. In this tiny village between a river and endless fields of paddy and sugarcane, everyone gathers to watch Lokhindar brought back to life. A little girl films on her pink smart phone.

Lokhindar is played by Mohammad Monirul Islam, the 'guru' of the troupe and, in real-time, proprietor of a steel cabinet workshop. The burly thirty-year-old's gentle, effeminate charisma makes him instantly likable. He is also an Ojha—he says he learned the language of the snakes in a dream, and claims to have healed thousands of snakebite patients by sucking out the poison. 

Manasa devotees all over Bangladesh have unique practices. In Tangail and Ghatail, snake-healers like Moni perform the ritual dance drama Behular Lachari, a retelling of the myth of Manasa. In the age-old folk tale, Behula wins Lord Shiva's ear with a fantastic dance. Shiva then negotiates a deal with Manasa. Lokhindar's father finally offers a puja to Manasa, snidely, with his left hand, but it's enough to bring back his son.

Shaone Dala, a reenactment of Behula's epic journey by raft to save Lokhindar, takes place on the last day of Srabon. In a tour organized by Shadhona Cultural Circle and Jatrik, a cultural tourism company where I work, we follow Moni's boat. The songs blare over loudspeakers. Drums, trumpets, and electric keyboard drown out the dhol and harmonium. The cast are dressed in bright red and orange, velvet vests and crowns with silver ornamentation. The female characters are played by men, but it's hard to tell, behind layers of make-up.

The cult of Manasa, dominated by well-developed female characters, has prevailed in rural Bengal and surrounding regions through centuries of cultural transformation and political upheaval.

Syed Jamil Ahmed, professor at Dhaka University's Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, argues that these regional rural traditions exist in a symbiotic relationship with the canonical classical traditions. “Rural communities engage in little traditions because they yield meaning and value to communal life.”

Patronage and economic security would allow rural artistes time to nurture and refine their art, which in turn could contribute to producing world class master artistes.

Shadhona and Jatrik are hosting a competition of ten jatra troupes, including Moni's, in Bhuwapur, Tangail on Sept 18 and 19.