Indigenous community celebrates traditional Karam festival at Jahangirnagar University
Two-day celebration features traditional rituals, folk tales, jhumur dance and music.
A two-day Karam festival, featuring traditional rituals, folk songs, dances and cultural performances, concluded at Jahangirnagar University (JU) yesterday (27 August), celebrating the agricultural and nature-based heritage of indigenous communities.
Organised jointly by the Uttarbangla Indigenous Volunteer Committee and JU-based indigenous cultural organisation Arfi, the festival brought together representatives of indigenous communities from across Bangladesh, along with university teachers and students.
Held at the university's Seventh Chhayamanch, the festival carried the theme "Our culture is our identity".
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Rituals rooted in nature and agriculture
Seven to nine days before the main festival, unmarried young women collect clean sand and soil from rivers and place them in new bamboo baskets. They then sow seeds of rice, wheat, mung beans and chickpeas.
The seeds are tended daily with turmeric water after bathing. The sprouted plants, known as 'Jawa', symbolise new life and fertility.
On the day of the puja, participants observe a fast according to the auspicious date in the Bengali month of Bhadra. On the first day, young men bring three branches of a healthy Karam tree from the forest while singing and playing traditional drums.
The branches are then placed at the main altar, or 'Akhra', at the Seventh Chhayamanch.
At 7pm on 27 August, an elderly priest, known as Pahan or Laya, installed the three Karam branches. The ritual began with offerings of milk, oil, vermilion and Jawa.
After the puja, participants gathered at 9pm to listen to the traditional folk tale of 'Dharma-Karma'. Following the storytelling, sisters tied Karam leaves and Jawa around their brothers' hands, praying for their long lives and wellbeing.
The night continued with traditional Jhumur dances, songs and performances accompanied by madal (drums).
The following morning, the Karam branches were removed from the Akhra and carried in a procession to the lake beside the university's medical centre, where they were immersed amid collective dancing.
How the Karam festival began
Karam, or Karam Puja, is an ancient agricultural and nature-worshipping festival observed by several indigenous communities in Bangladesh and India, including the Oraon, Santal, Munda, Kurmi, Bhumij and Kharia.
One popular folk legend centres on two brothers, Karma and Dharma. Karma becomes arrogant after becoming wealthy and insults the Karam deity, bringing misfortune and poverty upon himself. He later realises his mistake, retrieves the Karam branch and resumes worship, regaining prosperity.
The festival is therefore associated with the values of labour, honesty and devotion, while traditionally being observed during the crop-growing season to seek protection from diseases and ensure a good harvest.
Ranjit Khallo, a member of the Uttarbangla Indigenous Volunteer Committee, said the festival also aims to preserve indigenous heritage and introduce younger generations to its roots.
Soma Dumri, president of Arfi, said the organisation has been jointly arranging the festival with the volunteer committee since last year so indigenous students can celebrate their traditions in a familiar environment.
She said the festival also provides a platform to highlight indigenous culture, traditions, identity and rights, and expressed hope that people from all communities would join the celebration in future.
