Bonalu: Mahankali Jatara

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India is a country that has from time immemorial sworn by established traditions, most of which trace their origins to myths and an overwhelming fear of the unknown. Worship of Gods and Goddesses has become a way of life as they provide a sense of déjà vu to the devout.

Appeasing Goddesses is especially prevalent in villages and rustic surroundings. In a country that is culturally so diverse, it is natural that deities take different forms and shapes depending on local myth. In Telangana, the pride of place goes to the worship of Goddess Pochamma during the exuberant larger-than-life Bonalu celebrations.

One gets to observe all facets of human emotions, including mass colourful gatherings; animal sacrifice, community involvement that bears an extraordinary oneness and cultural and communal harmony. All hail the superlative powers of the Mother Goddesses (Mahankali/Pochamma and many) that help cleanse their souls. Bonalu remains one of the most profound of salutations offered to divine powers.

How does one describe a multi-faceted artist who has an eye for perfection and who creates works that stand out as one-of-a-kind? How can a personality, who has won accolades in myriad artistic forms, produce a qualitatively envious output with a regularity that sounds too good to be true?

Well, these things seem quite possible when one talks of a high-calibre and proven master like Bongu Narsing Rao, a celebrated Telangana native, who takes pride in upholding the region's cultural richness.

What came in handy as he went about collecting details of every magnitude, was the theatre experience he acquired and the decades spent on intense study about the region, particularly about its lesser known facts. His interests are multi-faceted, like his own life. On that count, he is both a passionate learner and an erudite teacher, whose expertise makes him an authority on the region.

MOTHERS FOR ETERNITY

Presenting 'bonam' (a thanksgiving gesture) to goddesses is a tradition that has been in vogue since ancient times, including the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, which, once, were small villages.

Chinna Thoketa, a hamlet near Secunderabad, is said to be the main village for these two cities. These being agriculturally fertile lands, tanks existed in places like Nampally and Chikkadapally, these are now residential localities in Hyderabad.

Although, the 'Vatandari' system was prevalent back then, till date there are families whose forefathers worked as Mali Patels, Police Patels and Patwaris. This signifies the presence of a 'village culture' in modern-day cities and metropolis.

The region's history and revenue records show vast traces of upheavals like Musi floods in 1908 (among several natural calamities that it braved), plague camps, drought, wars and human conflicts, all of which the city was witness to.