RAIPUR: Bandha Mataur, a unique fair that reflects an age-old tradition at Makdi in Kondagaon, was reintroduced this year with much fanfare. At the fair, thousands of people carry out fishing together in a pond for fixed hours as a ritual. The local village headman leads the ritual.
The fair at Kondagaon, about 230 km south of Chhattisgarh's capital, is observed in a special pond every year, but the practice was discontinued in 2008 after the village-level water body was given on a lease for aquaculture.
“The fair exhibits an occasion as part of the annual custom imparted by the local population. It was reintroduced with a splendid display and playing of music. The lease has been discontinued now. People from around 40 villages participated with fervour. The malguzar (the village headman) performed puja following which everyone was allowed to fish,” said Jivanlal Pandey, Barkai village Patel.
Around 2,000 people entered the big reservoir with their fishing nets to catch fish and they got engaged for an hour and a half. There were fish trapped almost in every net with a minimum of 3 kg to a maximum of 10 kg.
Everyone who participated considered the occasion auspicious for their villages, said Israr Ahmed, a TV journalist based in Kondagaon. Such a tradition of fishing in masses is followed to please the local goddess ‘Matarani’.
“Such tradition is not seen anywhere in the state. The villagers are actually not professional fishermen but they try to engage themselves to fish better,” said a local authority in Kondagaon.