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Why Bhagoriya has become a shutterbugs' paradise

With footfall reaching 30K in every haat of the festival, the much-awaited Bhagoriya is in full flow already. The festival and its week-long fair takes place in bordering districts of Madhya Pradesh such as Jhabua, Alirajpur, Khargone, Barwani , which are close to Gujarat. Over the years, this festival of the Bhil and Bhilala tribes has garnered a lot of attention for its unusual rituals and vibrant vistas it provides.

The young ladies decked up in the finest silvers, bachelor tribal men coming up in colourful turbans and flashy clothes too woo the ladies and the dhol-maandal walas keeping the vibe going with their rhythmic beats – what more could a photographer ask for? With millennials keeping their passion for photography alive on their Instagram and Facebook, this year’s Bhagoriya fest has become their most preferred check-in venue.


Instagrammers digging the colours of Dhar

Besides photojournalists, researchers studying tribal culture and organisers, a huge chunk of visitors is formed by budding shutterbugs in their early twenties. Moving through the mass of multihued dupatta clad women and dancing men, these youngsters can be found seamlessly blending with them to document the elaborate costumes, jewellery and customs. Anurag Badoliya, a 25-year-old freelance photographer has been documenting the pictures of the haats in Dhar district for the past two years. “For the longest time, this festival was quite underrated in youth circles. After some photojournalists started posting their pictures on Instagram, everyone wanted to go there and shoot. Now I see a lot Instagrammers putting daily 2-3 posts from the villages and getting more than 1K likes”. Capturing the unusual rituals of choosing one’s partner at this festival is also what makes the youngsters throng in good numbers to the haat. “This is one of the craziest swayamvars I have heard of! When I saw pictures from the festival on a friend’s gallery last year, I was intrigued. I had been keeping a tab on the dates and details of the haat, and this time I’m here to see and record all this in action at Walpur village.”



Going the distance


In just the first two days of the festival which began on March 14 th, the #Bhagoriya has already become popular among the local photographers. It also goes to show that these youngsters are not hesitating from travelling to these remote villages which are easily 150-170 kms away from Indore . In the first two days about 15 village haats were covered, and each haat had equal number of photography enthusiasts’ presence. Madhav Sharma, a 23-year-old amateur photographer shares, “The roads are dusty, sun is scorching and it takes close to 4-5 hours to cover these distances by road. Yet, the joy being a part of these celebrations and an integral part of our cultural heritage is unmatched.” For others, clocking these kilometres and hours for improving their portfolio or Instagram connect is totally worthwhile. “It is quite taxing, but the plethora of pictures and memories you come back with, makes us richer. These tribal women have this raw beauty and charm which is accentuated by their conventional rustic silver jewellery makes for award winning photographs. I mean even foreigners come to capture their beauty, so we should certainly be not scared of the distance” says Radhika Badwelkar, a media student who is currently headed to Bamaniya.


Don’t forget the taadi and kadaknath!

Since it is spring, and all endogenous fruits are in full bloom, Taadi becomes highlight of the food platter of Bhagoriya. Anurag recounts, “Besides the local food, taadi is the highlight for all the youth gathered there. It not just signifies celebration, but also brotherhood as 2-3 people drink from the same pot, while they dance and sing at the haat. Even visitors like me make it a must-have!” For those who like to sample the authentic taste of the Malwa and Nimadi region Dal-Paniya, a local dish that is the earthier version of dal-baati and Kadaknath chicken curry made by locals is a huge draw. Artiste Preeti Mann, who travelled all the way from Delhi to capture all the festival along with her friends says, “I travelled with friends who were from the region and we went out to sample the local delicacies. I had heard about dal-paniya, so tried that out. But what truly impressed me was the Jhabua special Kadaknath chicken curry. It had minimal local spices, but was truly amazing in taste” she sums up.


“The melas of Jhabua and Alirajpur district are the biggest and the best as people from neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra also join in. Their costumes and jewellery stands out amidst the crowd. Their maandal and caravan also have different dances so it becomes more appealing for the visitors who travel to document the festival. However, at the moment there is not much accessibility to other district haats, so many foreigners are unable to travel to the interiors. Also, these visitors are hosted by the royal families as of now, if there are more resorts or hotels around the area, footfall will be evenly distributed.” – Thakur Bhimsingh Dhargaon, Khargone




Pictures by: Anurag Badoliya, Preeti Mann and Anil Gulati

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