BHELAGHAR

1

 

As I proposed, I want to build a house, reside/dwell inside it and then make a procession with it and finally want to burn it down. Now there is a ritual in Assam, that follows almost similar activities. It is called Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu, a winter harvesting festival, when the folks make out a house (known as Bhelaghar), stay one night, have a grand feast and in the very next morning they burn it down.

Initially when I conceived this idea of disposable house, I didn't keep in mind about the bhelaghar – with what lot of my childhood memories are attached. It only in the time of conversation with the jury I suddenly remembered Bhelaghar.

Dwijen Mahanta, a theatre practitioner and photographer collected some photographs for us in Biswanath Chariali. 

The Making of Bhelaghar, photographs were taken on 12 Jan 2011, from Bhir Gaon and Bamgaon, Biswanath Chariali, Assam, by Dwijen Mahanta

Now what I propose is a project of Art, and what they do is a ritual or tradition. Here grows a distinction between US and THEM, ART and RITUAL and to extend the line a distinction between Art and Public.

Here I would not extend the  discussion in this blog. I leave it open for discussion, and may be some other day we would open up the same discussion again. Here let us look at the documented photographs and have an idea about the Bhelaghar.

2 

Other than Dwijen Mahanta, I talked to Kavita Saharia who already put a blog on bhelaghar and extensively also on the Magh bihu. Here I present some nice visuals from her collection with her permission.

 see:

http://www.kavitasaharia-myroom.com/2010/02/bhelagharin-small-assamese-village.html 

http://www.kavitasaharia-myroom.com/2010/02/mejibhogali-bihu.html  

http://www.kavitasaharia-myroom.com/2010/01/bhogali-bihu-of-assamuruka-bhoj-and.html  

Kavita writes: “On the eve of Sankranti(URUKA) a special temporary makeshift cottage or a small house like structure called Bhelaghar is made .This structure is mainly built by the men folk using Bamboo,hay,wood -pieces .After preparing and enjoying a feast inside the bhelaghar,men spend the night there and in the early hours of the next morning lit the bhelaghar down. Its ashes are then spread to the fields and the trees to bring luck for a better harvesting in future.”

“Usually it is a small hut like structure but for the last two years youths of MISAKHOLAHAAT a village 5-6 kms away from our village have started a trend of making it in a grand way." Here are some amazing visuals from a particular Bhelaghare making:

Last year they made a bhelaghar nearly 40 ft high consisting five floors and because of its uniqueness instead of burning it down the next morning it was retained for a week as the village saw many visitors from the nearby villages and town.This year encouraged by the enthusiasm of the spectators last year the makers of this bhelaghar added another floor which made it approx 44ft high .And if it was not enough they made another small bhelaghar right behind this and attached both the ghars by a bamboo bridge.On asking the villagers told us that for the vertical post they used Tamul tree(betelnut tree) and for the horizontal post i.e. the floor they used Bamboo.The post were tied together by the Tongal(a rope made with the thin shreds of bamboo) and plastic strings too were used to make the structure stronger. The total expenditure was nearly 5000Rs. and it took them more than two weeks to make it.”

3

Now here is a poem from Siddhartha Sankar Kalita on Bhelaghar:

bhelaghar

Siddhartha Sankar Kalita

On the eve of Magh Sankranti

We used to make the Bhelaghar.

We made a structure of beams with unripe bamboo

and putting the hay into it,

when the harvesting is over,

we challenged each other  on our skills in making a house.

...and the grand feast was in the evening.

A little prayer was on our palms in the next morning.

and then

fire!

A grand fire event were happening,

The house was burnt down in no time,

The craft of our immature hands were disposed

When we were grown ups

many colorful thoughts

started building a house in ourselves.

And yeah! Juvenile was there to put fire to it.

We were burnt, we were hurt,

still the flamboyant thoughts started building

a house inside.

A thought could generate another one in itself.

Hence, even after the destructions

we thought of the house a permanent one, a concrete one.

It was another story of

Bhelaghar only

made with our unripe hands...