These days. the Sargiful Mahotsav is being observed in different parts in Odisha and undivided Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. This is a tribal festival. The festival is as important to the tribal communities as are the festivals of Nuankhai to the people of western Odisha, Makar to the people of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanja and parts of Baleswar and other major festivals to the people all across the State.
Most festivals in Odisha are observed after the harvest of crops. The months of December and January mark the harvest season. This is the period which fills the granaries with grains and spreads happiness among one and all.
‘Sargi’ is the local name of Sal tree which is a dominant plant of northern tropical forest eco-system. The Sal tree has wide significance for our ecology, environment, economy and culture. The Sal crop occupies a prominent position in the State’s forests. This is a natural phenomenon that Sal trees flower in every alternate year. It never flowers every successive year. Sal behaves like mango trees.
The Sal tree gives long resistant wood for construction purpose, making agricultural implements and building houses. Sal leaves are used for plates and its foliages for tooth brush. Sal seed is used for oil, ghee and medicine. The cakes obtained after extraction of oil from seed are also used as natural manure in the agricultural fields. In the Adivasi region, the oil as well as the starch from Sal seeds is prepared through old country practices. The leaf plate units are now providing large scale employments to the rural poor.
Shifting cultivation is mainly practiced by the tribals. They use a patch of land till its fertility is there and abandon it later. The Sal trees help revive the fertility of the soil. The Sal forests chemically charge the soil with better fertility through biochemical process. The Sal forests are therefore deeply associated with the tribal life and culture. They worship the trees.
However, due to mining and industrial activities, most of the tribal villages which are rich in Sal trees are getting bald. Wanton destruction of the forest clusters has also led to destruction of the tribal habitats and the tribals. Industrial and mining pollutions have also not spared the tribal land, water and air. Pollution has also adverse impact on the wildlife that the tribals love so much. Various kinds of animals, reptiles and birds are getting extinct due to loss of forests, fodder, water and pollution.
The winter nights are very pleasant. The writer spent several nights in the tribal villages. The community people burn wood to make fire. They sing and dance when in a jolly mood. The ladies adorn their heads with Sal and other seasonal flowers and join dance with male counterparts. The Sargiful festival is a call to save forests and wildlife and refrain from the interfering with the close existence of the tribals.
Now the people of Tripura are demanding cultivation of ganja because the production of the crop pays more profit than raising agricultural crops. Odisha forests have also become safe havens for ganga cultivation and peddlers. The tribals are induced to go for ganja cultivation by people from outside but while the profit goes to the pocket of the outsiders the tribals have to bear the brunt of the offence. They face police arrest and are subjected to torture and exploitation. The ganja cultivation is also creating social disturbances and leading to criminal activities in the tribal lands. They are attracted to join the Maoist movement through such practices.
The tribals are great lover of nature and peace. They are living under several problems including education and health hazards. The Government schemes should be properly implemented for the development of the tribals. For that to happen, the tribals must feel safe and undisturbed. Their socio-cultural and religious life needs to be promoted. The natural habitat where they live must not be destroyed under the pretext of development.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist. Tel no 9937460649)
