Roaring drums, vivid ‘Dokmandas’ and a day too good to forget

Jishu ni Rasong (in the name of Jesus, I greet you) read a board at the church gate as we stepped into the Saint Paul's Dharmapolli in Pirgacha, a small rural area that lies in the suburbs of Madhupur in Tangail.

The hustle and tussle of the young girls, the women screaming on top of their voices, giving instructions to each other and the men constructing the platform for the next morning- this is how Madhupur welcomed me for Wangala, a festival that celebrates the arrival of winter and the harvest season.

This was my very first time visiting Madhupur for a field trip, organised by my Sociolinguistics professor Fr Shankar Leonard Rozario from Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB). He taught us to design ethnography last semester, but was unable to take us to any speech event to practically analyse speech acts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Being one of his former students and an associate at the NDUB Language Centre, I was asked to accompany the junior Master's batch and help them write an ethnography report on the Wangala Festival.

The Wangala, being derived from the pagan beliefs, is a festival where the worshipers thanked the Misi Saljong (Sun God) for their rich harvest. For decades, the woods of Madhupur has been home to the Garo Christian community.

Draped in beautifully hand woven Dokmandas, the girls were rehearsing for the performance. Children aged between 4 and 8 were repeating their steps, as they kept forgetting the sequences.

As the night closed in, everyone gathered around the campfire, enjoying the foggy winds, local delicacies paired with Chu (locally made rice wine). We had the privilege to visit a Garo family who invited us for dinner.

As we sat around the dining table, a long train of dishes arrived:  first the bhortas, then the curries and stews, and finally the spicy stir-fried non-veg items and fruits. Juicy pineapples, luscious papayas, and naturally grown guavas paired with a mug of Chu, which seemed to be on auto-refill every time the cup went empty.

I woke up the following day with the sound of the big brass bell dangling beside the Wangala podium. Hastily finishing our breakfast, we rushed to the church field.

Adapting to their current religious faith while treasuring their cultural heritage, the Garo community began the day with performances, leading to a prayer and ending the day with a cultural event.

As the sun set and the festivities began to quiet down, it was time for me to bid farewell to this amazing organic lifestyle and wonderful hosts. Holding a large coconut on my hands while sipping its sweet water with a bamboo cane straw, I waved the cheerful yet sad faces goodbye, promising to meet them again.

The author is Trainee Reporter, Arts & Entertainment, The Daily Star. Email: [email protected].