Banking on tradition

Odisha's Kondh tribe introduces a seed festival and bank to facilitate use of indigenous varieties and traditional farming to overcome crop loss 

- RAKHI GHOSH

SINCE 2019, members of the Kondh tribe in Odisha's Nayagarh district have added one more event to their calendar of festivals and celebrations. Called Bihan Mela, literally the seed festival, the event is participated by farmers from as many as 40 villages in Dasapalla block, sorrounded by hills and forests. Preparations begin as soon as farmers have harvested kharif crops, which includes both hybrid and indigenous varieties of paddy, millets, maize and sorghum. Women, who are at the helm of this festival, carefully collect seeds of the indigenous varieties and store them in earthen pots. Then, on a designated day in December, they decorate the pots with red and white motifs, place them in a bamboo basket and carry it on head to the village where the fair is being organised. Along the way, they are accompanied by men beating drums and other traditional instruments.