There is hardly any adivasi ritual or festival in Adilabad and neighbouring districts which does not connect the local ethnic tribes with nature.
Each of the rituals and festivals indicate that the aboriginal Raj Gonds and Kolams’ understanding of the nuances of their environment was perfect.
Take for instance, the Akadi puja which is performed by the Raj Gonds during July that heralds certain changes in the diet of humans and cattle.
It is after this ritual that they begin eating leafy vegetables and believe that their animals develop the ability to digest green fodder.
The puja also heralds the dandari dance season for the Raj Gonds who dance and sing in their villages in the evenings until Diwali.
The Dandari Pen puja or the puja of the traditional musical instruments is performed in the night and usually follows the Akadi puja performed in the afternoon.
Consumption of fresh green fodder or fresh vegetables at the start of monsoon is considered to be unsafe as it could result in spread of certain diseases. The period of ‘danger’ to health of humans and animals through the vegetarian diet is over soon after the Akadi amavasya and the Raj Gonds perform Akadi puja for a period of about a week starting on the fourth day after the amavasya.
The special prayers are a simple task as the menfolk in villages reach close to the nearest forest and perform the puja. A stone symbolises Akadi Pen or god who is offered sweet rice as prasadam besides a chicken in sacrifice.
The most interesting part of the puja however, is the ‘datudi’ ritual which involves men and animals crossing the geeta (line) drawn with a mixture of turmeric and vermilion. The line symbolises the divide between habitation and forest and needs to be crossed ritually signifying the entry into the forest and return to home.
“Today we cook some of the wild plants indicating the lifting of ban on consumption of leafy vegetables since the beginning of monsoon,” revealed Sidam Tulsiram, the Patel of Pataguda village in Indervelli mandal where Akadi puja was performed on Tuesday, the last day for performing puja this season.
“As the greenery in the forest undergoes changes, animals will be able to digest green fodder properly from now on,” he added.