Unique India Top 5 in March 2021
India celebrates everyday. We celebrate through our culture, arts, dances, music, food & colors. March is a glorious month of such celebrations. Though Covid has taken its toll on people & properties, it has not dimmed the spirit that is India. In this Unique India Monthly, we walk through Holi, Pakhala & Forest Day when India & her people celebrated life in March 2021.
Chattisgarh Tourism celebrates the Dandami Maria tribal cultures.
Living mostly in the areas of Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradhesh & somewhat spread across Maharashtra, the Dandami Madiya (also written as Dandami Maria or Bison Horn Tribe), they retained a lot of their cultural & religious heritage through the ages when the Western world was going through sweeping changes & materialistic developments through science, engineering, technology & medicine.
The Dandami Maria culture is based on strong religious beliefs & is a blend of Hindu faith combined with the belief that non-human objects have spirits. They abide by the basic Hindu customs and traditions & the majority believe in a supreme being including a strong belief in reincarnation.
They predominantly decent from the Gond tribe that also includes the Arakh, Agaria, Asur, Abujh Maria, Badi Maria, Bada Maria, Bhatola, Bhimma, Bhuta, Koliabhuta, Koliabhuti, Bhar, Bisonhorn Maria, Chota Maria, Dhuru, Dhurwa, Dhoba, Dhulia, Dorla, Gaiki, Gatta, Gatti, Gaita, Gond Gowari, Hill Maria, Kandra, Kalanga, Khatola, Koitar, Koya, Khirwar, Khirwara, Kucha Maria, Kuchaki Maria, Madia, Maria, Mana, Mannewar, Moghya, Mogia, Monghya, Mudia, Muria, Nagarchi, Nagwanshi, Ojha, Raj, Sonjhari Jhareka, Thatia, Thotya, Wade Maria, Vade Maria & Daroi.
West Bengal focuses on International Day of Forests.
West Bengal chose the hidden gem of Baikunthapur to mark the International Day of Forests. Baikunthapur is a Terai forest region in the western part of the Dooars in West Bengal, south of the Himalayan foothills, between the rivers Mahananda to the west and Teesta to the east.
Situated partly in Darjeeling and partly in Jalpaiguri district, Baikunthapur became the focal point in the Government’s efforts to restore forests to address the crisis brought upon us by climate changes & shrinking biodiversity.
Nagaland Tourism opens its office in Delhi.
The Nagaland tourism officials inaugurated the newly constructed Tourism Office at Nagaland House, New Delhi in the presence of Smt. Sarita Yadav IAS, Joint Resident Commissioner & Shri Kethosituo Sekhose, Deputy Resident Commissioner on the 19th March 2021.
Orissa celebrates World Pakhala Divas.
On March 20, 2021 Orissa celebrated the year’s Pakhala Day. Pakhala is an Eastern Indian rice item mainly prepared by lightly cooking or fermenting rice & mixed with curd, cucumber, cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves.
It was first used as a “prasad” or offering by the farmers to Lord Jagannath of Puri & later the custom was adopted in other parts of India like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu & Jharkhand. Other varieties of Pakhala available today, prepared in almost the same way but with different amounts of fermentation or spices, are Jeera Pakhala, Dahi Pakhala, Garama Pakhala & Basi Pakhal.
Mathura celebrated Lathmar Holi.
While India celebrated Holi, a special festival & hidden gem of Indian culture, the Lathmar Holi was celebrated in Mathura. The Lathmar Holi is an ecstasy of Braj where the women try to hit the men with a baton whilst the men try to defend themselves with a shield.
A trivia: To bring more awareness & enliven the cultural strengths of true India through celebrations like the Lathmar Holi, the Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad was constituted under the Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad Act, 2015 (U.P. Act No. 5 of 2015).
