Girls paraded naked to please rain gods

Girls paraded naked to please rain gods

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bhopal:07.09.2021

Madhya Pradesh is no stranger to bizarre rain rituals, but this one borders on the grotesque. Minor girls were paraded naked, carrying a heavy wooden flail, in Damoh district in the belief that it will please the rain gods.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken suo motu cognizance of the ritual and asked for details from the collector. Graphic videos of the parade have also been shared on social media. In the fag end of monsoon, drought looms over large parts of Bundelkhand, forcing villagers to desperation. People of a tribal village in rain-parched Damoh took to an age-old ritual in a last ditch attempt to appease the rain gods.

On Monday, two little girls, apparently aged below 10, carried a flail over their shoulders as they led a procession of village women, including their mothers. The women sang bhajans to seek blessings of the gods to save crops drying in the fields. They also begged for alms, mainly foodgrains, which were then used to prepare food in the fields to complete the ritual, said the mother of one of the girls. The children had no clue why they were disrobed and made to walk around the village. “This ritual has been happening for a few days,” said some of the villagers. The mother of one of the girls, who was paraded on Monday, said: “Our paddy has started drying due to lack of rainfall. We need water. This will bring rain.”

Damoh SP DR Teniwar said, “It is a tradition here that can be termed superstition. We will investigate. In case we come to know about force being used against the children while they are paraded naked, we will initiate action.”

Asked about videos of the parade being shared on social media, the SP said: “We will investigate the video’s authenticity and take action.”

Monsoon usually slows down in MP in September. On Monday, Damoh was 47% rain-deficient, followed by Panna district at 38% and Chhatarpur at 25%. Many rivers are dry. Unless it really pours this month or the monsoon overstays, Bundelkhand and many other parts of MP face a brutal summer ahead.

On Monday, two little girls, aged below 10, carried a flail over their shoulders as they led a procession of village women, including their mothers. The children had no clue why they were disrobed & made to walk around the village