Ashok Sharma
Fairs and Melas are an intrinsic part of Indian socio cultural and religious life. In India, we have a tradition of famous Melas such as Mahakumbh Mela, Pushkar Mela etc.which attract millions of tourists,traders and devotees from within and outside the country.
Our state is also known for various fairs and melas such as Jhiri Mela,Bahu Mela, Hemis Gompa Mela, etc. which tell us a lot about the rich cultural heritage of our state, which has been bequethed to us by our forefathers. Since ancient times, fairs and melas have been organised in Duggar which add colour and vibrancy to our life. These melas also help to showcase the rich culture of the Dogras at national and international level through folk dances such as Kud,Fumnian etc. It is a feast to the eyes and ears of the visitors to watch the Dogra art and culture live in these Melas.One such mela which is the largest mela in Udhampur is the Baisakhi Mela.
The historic Baisakhi Mela or ‘Basoa’ in local parlance is an annual Mela organised on the eve of first Baisakh, usually from 13 April to 15 April every year on the bank of sacred rivulet Devika at Udhampur since times immemorial.According to Pt.Sudesh Khajuria, this historic mela is believed to have been organised every year for about two hundred years.According to legends, Devika is considered to be the elder sister of Ma Ganga and it is believed that Lord Shiva, on the request of Rishi Kashayap,sent Mata Parvati on the earth to flow as river Devika and rid the people of Madardesh (Duggar) of all their afflictions and sins.It is said that even a single dip in sacred Devika rids a person of all his/her sins.The Mela is also organised to mark the harvest of crops and it attracts visitors and traders from different parts of our state and from other states as well. Apart from Udhampur, Baisakhi Mela is also organised at’ Baisakhi Dabbar’in Barmeen,about twenty two kilometres from Udhampur and at Benisang in tehsil Chenani.Tehsil Ramnagar is the hub of Dogra culture and grand Baisakhi mela is organised at Dalsar, historic Chougan and Nauji respectively on first, second and third Baisakh every year in Ramnagar.The Baisakhi Melas at all these places also attract thousands of people of different communities,religions,castes etc.from the adjoining villages and towns.The visitors in high spirits and dressed in colourful Dogra attires present a true picture of unity in diversity.
There is an atmosphere of celebration,joy, colourfulness and vibrancy all around with the traders selling their merchandise and children and elders dressed in colourful new dresses enjoying rides on merry-go-rounds,hindolas etc.Other attractions in the mela include daredevil feats in Mout Ka Kuan, Circus etc.Many shopkeepers set up their temporary shops to sell sweets, icecream, juices and other things. The bangle/toy sellers have a hey day.It is a thrilling experience to see stalls loded with vases, pottery,local foods etc. People from far and wide converge and sing folksongs such as geetrus, pakhan in groups and play melodious tunes on flute. One finds oneself in an atmodphere of jubiliation and celebration all around-far away from worldly worries and tensions. Besides taking part in the mela,many devotees take bath in the holy rivulet and pay obeisance to various gods and goddesses in temples located on both side of Devika. The district administration makes elaborate arrangements to provide security, clean drinking water, medical facilities, uninterrupted power supply and other facilites at the mela site under the charge of a Mela Officer. NDRF/SDRF teams are there to deal with any emergency. Various departments such as Agriculture, Handicrafts etc and religious and social organisations also put up their stalls to aware the people about various schemes of the government and need to eradicate social evils. The Information Department also organises cultural programmes highlighting rich Dogra cultural heritage and to aware people about various social evils and need to eradicate them.Many artists from and outside the state converge in large number to sing folk songs and perform dances, which mesmerise the viewers.A grand free style wrestling match(Dangal)is organised generally,one day after the concluding day of the Mela,which attracts famous wrestlers from within and outside the state.A large number of people assemble to witness the bouts of wrestling between the famous wrestlers and give the winners huge round of applause. But as the Melas conclude, the Mela sites and adjoining areas are littered with wrappers, plastics and other biodegradable and nonbiodegradable things.
Therefore,It is the duty of one and all that the sites of these melas are cleared of all the plastic material and other garbage and donot pose problem to environment. Moreover, at Udhampur people throw a lot of materials into the rivulet Devika ,thus polluuting it. The Government of India has already approved Rs 170.54 crores plan for cleanliness and preservation of Devika under National River Conservation Plan and it is hoped that the amount sanctioned will be properly utilized for the cleanliness and purification of Devika and its tributary Doodh Ganga. But unless people change their mindset and stop throwing garbage in it, the efforts of the government aimed at cleaning this holy rivulet of faith cannot achieve the desired results.
Thus,Udhampur is famous for various fair and melas which serve to fulfil the social,economic and religious needs of the people. These fairs and melas serve the twin purpose of preservation and transmission of our rich cultural heritage to the posterity on the one hand and provision of platform to the people and budding artists to come together, foster close interpersonal bonds and display their talents on the other hand. So,we must be proud of our rich and diverse culture and everybody must take some time off from his/her hectic and mechanical life and take part in such Melas to have a glimpse of our rich culture and heritage from close quarters. Children should also be encouraged to participate in such melas so that they become conversant with our rich culture and learn to appreciate, follow and preserve it it. These Melas also help to improve the economy of the region. Thus, it is important that sincere efforts are made to provide facilities such as upgradation of roads, provision of regular power/water, toilet facilities, construction/upgradation of bathing ghats, development of recreational parks etc. at these scenic spots having religious importance in order toattract more visitors and boost the local economy. After holy Devika is cleaned and conserved under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) , it is expected that more tourists and devotees will visit this place to have a dip in the holy water and participate in large number in Baisakhi Mela.
(The writer is serving as lecturer in English in Govt Hr.Sec.School (Boys) Udhampur)
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