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Indian Express

From Rajasthan, an annual folk ritual that subverts caste and class — Gavri of the Mewar Bhils

By Deepak Rajeev Every year, the Bhil community of Mewar embarks on a 40‑day ritual called Gavri. During this festival, Bhil troupes travel to villages across Udaipur and nearby districts of Rajasthan — where their married sisters and daughters live — performing khels or dance‑dramas, songs, and religious ceremonies in honour of their deity, Gorkhiya Mata. For the first time, this rich and resplendent world of Bhil rituals and oral literature is open to a wider audience through a photo exhibition at the India International Centre Art Gallery. Researched and curated by Aditi Mehta, the folk repertoire has been captured by the virtuoso lens of acclaimed photographer and Padma Shri awardee Sudharak Olwe. Mehta first encountered this centuries-old traditional art form when she was posted as an IAS officer in Rajasthan. Enthralled by the bhava or trance-like state of the khelyas or performers during the festival, she carried out a three-decade-long research which culminated in a three-volume cultural memoir-cum-ethnography text titled, 'Playing with the Goddess: Gavri of the Mewar Bhils'. She recounts: 'Back then, I had a small office and five or six staff. One of them, a peon, kept disappearing, and no one seemed to mind. Though his behaviour bothered me, I was caught up in my own work and life. Then came a turning point: we were traveling by a jeep to conduct a census, and we saw Gavri being performed along the way. I didn't pay much attention at first. But even six hours later, on our return, they were still singing and dancing — and to my surprise, the peon was among them. He was a khelya. That's when I realised how deeply meaningful this ritual is to the people.' Creating a Rabelaisian carnivalesque environment, Bhil dramas are filled with fun, dance, parody, and humour, subverting the notion of caste and class hierarchies. No authority figure is spared, and some playlets even lampoon kings and gods. Mehta says: 'Through successive iterations of this festival, you see a dramatic change and improvement in the status of Bhils. A few generations ago, they were considered untouchable and not allowed to enter certain parts of upper caste homes… They are actually considered to be gods (during the festival)… However, after the Gavri, after the carnival, they go back to reality.' The Bhils, one of the biggest Adivasi tribes in India, consider themselves direct descendants of Lord Shiva and his wife, Goddess Parvati. They believe Parvati is their sister and organise the festival to celebrate her, after the full moon night of Raksha Bandhan in August. eing a patriarchal society, they don't allow women to perform rituals. Therefore, female characters are played by men. Olwe says, '… I was strongly moved by their performance. These are precious moments of gender equality and fluidity where the dazzling colours of Rajasthan, songs, and dance form a collective consciousness, filling the environment with the feminine grace of the Devi. My duty, as a photographer, is to document the cultural diversity and lives of these people. Through my photos and exhibitions, I want to ensure that they receive the respect and dignity they rightly deserve.' Some of the popular dance dramas include 'Badliya Hindwa', which vividly acts out the Bhil community's deep love of nature, and 'Bhilurana', which is historically significant, portraying their resistance against foreign invaders such as the Mughals and the British East India Company. Both plays, as many others, end with a salutation to the goddess and clear warnings to never violate nature or their sovereignty. Through her research and this exhibition, Mehta hopes that new doors will open to the cultural assets of the Bhil civilisation. '… I hope my endeavour and our exhibition evoke an interest in understanding our folk art, philosophy, and our people. If it excites even a few individuals to try and discover what our country really is, then my aim is fulfilled.' The exhibition concludes on 1 August at 7 pm. (Deepak Rajeev is an intern with The Indian Express)