BENGALURU: As several take the flight to celebrate Diwali at home, few others have stayed back in the city because of work or study commitments, but that isn’t keeping them from following the festive custom and traditions, miles away from home.
City Express catches up with one such group from Northeast that will be celebrating their festival of ‘tihar’ in the city this year.
Guitar, bass, drums will replace the traditional madal, flute and tambourine to play ‘deusi bhailo’, as 14 college students come together to celebrate the festival.
Men will be wearing the conventional Gorkhali topi, paired with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The women, however will stick to the conventional ‘chaubandi-cholo’ a traditional attire.
What is deusi bhailo you ask? Imagine it to be like Christmas Carol. Instead of singing in one place, in deusi, the band moves door-to-door singing and entertaining families who in turn give ‘dakshina’ in a bronze plate decorated with diya, chawal (rice) and marigold flower.
The origin of the custom is sung in ‘bhailo’, but its authenticity is debatable. It is mostly performed by young girls and teenagers draped in red saree or ‘dhaka’ singing ‘bhaileyni ayo’ in an extended slow tune. The lyrics go on to say they were sent by Bali. The “Bali” here is a reference to King Mahabali, who is said to have been generous and the keeper of his words. The legend has it that he offered his own head to Vamana, the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu when Vamana demanded three paces to step on. When Vamana stepped on Earth and Universe and asked Bali where he could place his third step, Bali gave his own head. Seeing his dedication, Lord Vishnu gave Bali a supreme position in heaven.
Deusi is a custom followed by the boys and Bhailo by the girls. Bhailo is followed on Diwali and Deusi during the rest of the days. Deusi is a rigorous song often very inventive, where the chorus “desu re” is repeated after every single line following the lead of one voice. The tradition is loved by people so much that it often continues for week, even after the rangoli has faded and lamps are separated from the dung.
Many now, who have moved away from the region to cities for education and job. The busy lives have kept them from celebrating their small-town culture. “It has been three years since I’ve been in Bengaluru and haven’t celebrated Deusi bhailo,” says Nigam Lama, a 21-year-old, who hails from Dooars. He recently founded a community association called the United Society of Indian Gorkhas with 16 members.
The association caters to aid and support the Gorkha community who come to Bengaluru for medical and educational purpose.
The Deusi-bhailo initiative is of this association. All you have to do is call the association to book the cultural night. There is no minimum or maximum ‘dakshina’, it is up to the host on how generous he/she wants to be.
This initiative apart from advocating Gorkhali culture is also a fundraising intiative to support back the organisation that was formed in August this year.
“I personally believe that it is necessary to know one’s culture in order to be friends. Living in Karnataka, I have celebrated all kind of cultural festivals, so I though why not bring Deusi-bhailo to Bengaluru?” says Nigam.
Nigam and his group will play deusi from Sunday to Tuesday and will attend minimum of six houses that have extended their invites.
Kushal Sharma, who has been working in the city for eight years now, has invited the Deusi group to BTM. “Diwali is commonly celebrated, but it is the Deusi-bhailo part that we miss. So it makes me nostalgic and to be celebrating it here,” he says.
It is not just the Indian Gorkhalis who are waiting for Deusi. Prince Sharma, who is from Nepal and resides in TC Palya hasn’t been home in four years now. He stays with his roommate from Maharashtra and both of them are eagerly awaiting the night Deusi will be played in their rented apartment. “It will be like going back home for me and will be a new experience for my roommate,” Prince said.