Shall Fear Take Charge Over The Traditional Tusu Songs?-Lend It Your Thoughts

One interesting part of Tusu festival is its tradition. The tradition it comes with has highly encouraged young women’s creativity. This is in the sense that if their songs are worthy, they will be remembered by all. Usually both young and old women together sing these tusu songs. The tradition of singing songs is help up as a strategy meant for preservation of oral history.

Unfortunately, the tradition of tusu festival has been jeopardized to a great extent. Tusu possessions that used to happen in villages earlier, has now taken the shape of rarity. Hardly shall you get to see those colorful tusu processions in the villages. On an addition, the rituals have become obsolete. The main reason for this is that it is tusu competitions that have taken the shape of major events. The rituals are now followed hardly for one day. It can be rightly said that it is the cash prized luring people to indulge more and more in the competitions and are wiping away the traditional rituals slowly.

[A singer singing Tusu song at a talent hunt]

However, as of Purulia, the tusu competition is not held on Makar Sankranti but on the 23rd of January. On an addition, it cannot be missed saying that tusu songs in the recent past have been taken up as the theme tunes for many social activity groups as well as the political parties. Their commercial usage has extended to such an extent that today women fear singing these songs in the public in case any political
leader happens to overhear and get angry. Also tusu
songs are taken up as a special fold song category by the professional singers. You can now easily avail CDs and DVDs on tusu song from music stores. Also various commercial Videos on Tusu songs and dance are available for free over YouTube.

Whether the fear of commercialization or the political groups silence the melodious tusu songs of the tribal women now remains entirely in the form of a question!!!

Tusu Festival by The Kurmis of Jharkahnd and A brief about the Food They Make During These Festive days

While it is Makar Sankranti that is celebrated on the last day of Pous, for the Kurmi tribes of Jharkhand, it is Tusu Puja. They celebrate this colorful day by indulging in songs and dance and having gur peetha. Peetha is looked upon as a prominent dish not just for Makar Sankranti but also for Tusu festival. Made of rice husk, flour, suji or semolina, grated coconut and gur or jiggery, peetha comes in different shape and is also prepared in different methods. They enhance the mood of this festival.

The celebration starts one day prior to Makar Sankranti and on the day of makar Sankranti, a grand celebration is organized. For the Kurmi tribes, celebration of Tusu Puja is looked upon as a symbol of prosperity. The rituals are somewhat similar to that followed by the tribal group of Purulia and here they link it to the harvest festival. During this season, a small amount of the crop known as Dilli Budhi is left in the field untouched and it cut on the day of Aghan sanrant i.e December 14^th.

Dilli Budhi is after that taken back to homes and for the next one month, it is worshipped along with Goddess tusu. Each the Kurmis organize a grand prayer session at least for a day in this month at their home. On the 14 th of January i.e. the eve of Makar Sankranti, tusu idol is immersed in water. It is actually followed by a dance and song procession. Idols in Ranchi are usually immersed in River Swarnarakha.

Post makar Sanksranti and Tusu puja, grand fairs are organized in the village and this continues for a day or two. People gather here and indulge in songs and dance. Altogether, the kurmis celebrate this festival with great joy and happiness.

Tusu Puja- Analyzing The Difference In Rituals Followed By The Tribals Of Bankura And Purulia

For every puja, some core ingredients are required. The same is applicable for tusu puja as well. However, the ways these ingredients are used differ from one place to another. Here in this note, you are going to know more about the same.

Purulia

In Purulia, the celebrations centre around the Chaudal. The chaudal or four sided palanquin is a rectangular shaped structure made from bamboo and bright colored paper. Some box-kites are glued to it and the structure is made quite tall, somewhat around feet. Worship in Purulia belt is aniconic i.e. there no idols are worshipped here. However, as of the present time, images are seen. Chauri, the seed protectress, is worshipped on the first day of the three days long celebration. Chauri is accompanied by goddess Chandi (another name for goddess kali) and with Rohini, the woman who is believed to have discovered the first seeds. On the day of the festival, all the rice is brought from the farm to the house and then on the second day, small bundles are made and placed in the granary for the coming year’s harvest. It is on this day that the chaudal is bought and inside it, two cow dung balls are palced which respesnt the union of the female and male qualities in the form of sacred couple Tusi (female) and Tusa (male). Together they lead to the formation of Tusu.

Bankura

In certain parts of West Bengal such as Bankura, all the ingredients for the puja are placed carefully in a round shaped terracotta pot which is surrounded by tiny lamps. the main ingredient used for this puja is rice husks over which 5 or 7 or 9 cow dung balls are placed. Along with this, some rice and crown flower or akana, vermillion or haldi, flowers of mustard and radish, marigolds and other auspiciuous objects are placed together. The earthen pot used is called Alo-Khala or Tusu Khala as because lamps (Alo in Bengali) are placed around its rim. This pot is placed carefully in the niche or kulungi in the wall and during the evening, women sit around it and sing tusu songs.

Tusu Songs- Their Usage In The Older And Modern Era

Not just the name but also the rituals related to Tusu festival are highly enticing. Talking of Purulia, Goddess Tusu is welcomed here with songs sung by women. They wake up early morning, keep fast, get the household chores done and then go ahead with the rituals of this puja. Specially on the eve of Makar Sankranti, they keep a fast and sing throughout the night. The older tusu songs usually are known as “fertility songs”. Through these songs people plead to goddess tusu for a plentiful harvest. Though were sung in the older days, even today they are popular for their plaintive melody. Interestingly, the older tusu songs were not accompanied by any instruments.

Tusu Songs- How they were used years ago

According to the tribal group here, these songs were popularly meant for offering respect to Tusu. Known as “jagaran songs”, they were looked upon as a mode of awakening her- the goddess of fertility and virgin unplanted earth. However, the traditional belief  that still prevails is that Tusu symbolizes a mother, friend, daughter, a lover and a protector whom women can pour their hearts out to. Thus the older songs dealt with welcoming the goddess and expressing to her their joys, sorrows, longings as well as struggles.

Tusu Songs in the Modern age

[A group performing Tusu dance at a cultural event in Port Blair]

As of the modern times, this concept has undergone wide change. Now they are used for not just ritualistic reasons  but also for non -ritualistic purposes too- as protest against immorality, political songs, commercial love songs and even as material for school level competitions. Also the most notable change found with tusu songs of the modern era is that they are now accompanied by instruments.

A current tusu song adheres to the following imagery:

Tusu has picked up a sickle in her hand

And she is going to harvest that rice

which is grown with blood.

Landholders will come rushing up

[But] Tusu has courageously made up her mind

She holds the sickle with a firm grip