Phagun Madai: Dantewada's riot of colours linked to Spring-time fruits, flowers

Gaur dancers on the streets of Dantewada

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
While the rest of India soaks in the spirit of Holi to welcome spring, Dantewada district in southern Chhattisgarh takes pride in its own carnival involving music, revelry and celebrations.
The 10-day long Phagun Madai festival of Dantewada, which is over 700 years old, coincides with the festival of colours observed across the country. Grand processions are a common sight on the district’s roads packed to the full with curious onlookers. Bison horn dancers from the Dandami Maria tribe of south Bastar perform on the streets of Dantewada during the festive season. The Phagun Madai witnesses the coming together of royalty, Adivasis and non-Adivasis of the entire Bastar region comprising seven districts, including Dantewada.

Devotees walk holding their gods and goddesses

The bison horn dance, also known as the gaur dance, is a visually vibrant spectacle with male dancers wearing headgears made of gleaming bird feathers, cowrie shells and bison horns. The long pole carried by the women is called gujri, which is struck on the ground, as they move rhythmically to the beats of drums and flutes. The dance is an integral part of Phagun Madai. The festival is actually celebrated over a month but the 10 days hold the key attraction.
Suresh Karma, who heads the Sarva Adivasi Samaj in Dantewada, said that for the entire 10-day period, various types of customs and rituals are performed in the midst of dance and music. Decorated processions are taken out in the form of dolis or palkis (palanquins) during the evenings. There are 42 tribal groups in Chhattisgarh. So, there is a Sarva Adivasi Samaj to give them a proper platform.

Nagada, a main attraction of the festival

“Phagun Madai is an annual festival organised from March 9-March 19 which is linked to nature. It hails the spring-summer season’s fruits and flowers like the mango as well as mahua and palash. Mahua is an important minor forest produce in Chhattisgarh which is collected by tribals and reddish palash flowers dot the rural landscape during March-April. As part of the festival, people from all walks of life bring their own gods and goddesses to Dantewada,” Karma added. Immediately after the Phagun Madai, the mango festival is celebrated.
Some of the rituals are interesting like the traditional drama or nukkad natak showing the hunting of the rabbit which takes place at night. According to Karma, it symbolises the great hunting tradition observed in the olden days. People still remember it and carry on the tradition with great fervour on the stage. A man essays the role of the rabbit. Once, there was dense forest all around and many animals were found. So, it is basically a remembrance.

Palkis are taken out decorated daily

Amidst the din of musical instruments like the flute and the nagada a type of drum, assistant sub-inspector Asha Singh said almost 5,000-10,000 people arrive in Dantewada on a daily basis during these 10 days. In totality, over 10 lakh people descend on the place bringing 750 gods and goddesses from far-flung villages of the district and even from outside. The madai concludes with a fair. Security is ramped up for almost a month keeping in mind the festivities and 2000 police personnel are deployed throughout the night at sensitive places.
Nandlal Rathore, who is associated with the Banjara Samaj, said devotees perform rituals with great fervour. Phagun Madai is also linked to the observance of pandum, a Gondi word which means festival.

Comments

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

ArcelorMittal faces global scrutiny for retreat from green steel, job cuts, and environmental violations

By Jag Jivan ArcelorMittal is facing mounting criticism after cancelling or delaying nearly all of its major green steel projects across Europe, citing an “unsupportive policy environment” from the European Union . The company has shelved projects in Germany , Belgium , and France , while leaving the future of its Spanish decarbonisation plan uncertain. The decision comes as global unions warn that more than 5,500 jobs are at risk across its operations, including 4,000 in South Africa , 1,400 in Europe, and 160 in Canada .

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Can global labour demand absorb India’s growing workforce?

By N.S. Venkataraman* Over the past eleven years, India has claimed significant economic growth , emerging as the world’s fourth-largest economy. With the Government of India continuing to pursue economic and industrial development initiatives, this growth momentum is expected to continue in the medium term.

Search This Blog