BHOPAL: The stones began flying across the Jam River as they have for generations. On one bank stood the people of Pandhurna; on the other were villagers from Sawargaon. Between them, in the Jam River, stood a freshly cut Palash tree—the sacred flag that would become the centre of an extraordinary ritual of faith, memory and violence.
By the time the annual Gotmar Fair ended on Friday, 1,029 people had been injured. Eight men, mostly young, were seriously injured and taken to hospitals in neighbouring Nagpur, across the state border in Maharashtra.
Among the injured was a five-year-old boy, Yogesh Marawi, who had come with his family to watch the spectacle. The scenes are difficult to reconcile with the word “fair”. Yet for the people of these two riverside communities in MP, the event is an old ritual.
According to local legend, some 400 years ago, a young man from Pandhurna and a girl from Sawargaon fell in love and tried to elope. Villagers discovered them as they reached the Jam River and threw stones to stop them. The lovers are believed to have died in the chaos.
Each year, on Bhadrapada Amavasya, Sawargaon villagers carry a Palash tree from the forest and plant it in the river, treating it as their sacred flag—and symbolically as their daughter.
Pandhurna, cast as the “boy’s side”, attacks from across the water, trying to seize it. The battle ends only when the flag is cut down. Then, remarkably, the sides come together in worship.
However, 700 police officers were deployed, and drones, CCTV cameras, ambulances, doctors and temporary medical centres were set up.
In memory of lovers
According to local legend, some 400 years ago, a young man from Pandhurna and a girl from Sawargaon fell in love and tried to elope. Villagers discovered them as they reached the Jam River and threw stones to stop them. The lovers are believed to have died in the chaos. The ritual is in memory of this incident.