Ranchi, Sept. 10: This year the whole nation will watch pahans (tribal priests) worship the sacred sal tree during the famous Karma festival on September 23.

For, the state tourism department has geared up to market the tribal festival to the outside world through a live telecast on the national network.

“We would begin with Karma this year and continue to market all other famous tribal festivals of Sarhul, normally observed in March, and Sohrai, celebrated during Diwali,” Dipak Singh, director of tourism, told The Telegraph.

The programme, much on the lines of the live telecast of the famous Jagannath Rath Yatra, would be restricted to three-hours, interspersed with news and other programmes.

“We are talking to Doordarshan as well as with a private TV channel. This is a part of promoting state tourism and to attract more tourists to the state,” he said. The commercial aspects, like granting of ad rights, would be taken care of to make the programme commercially viable.

Tribals celebrate Karma as an extension of the Sarhul festivities, held to propitiate the gods for good rains that would ensure a good harvest. The Karma festival derives its name from karam tree (Nauclea parvifolia), which the tribes worship on the 11th day of the lunar calendar in the month of Bhado (August-September).

Religious festivities comprise offering prayers early in the morning by unmarried girls who fast throughout the day. Religious rites over, tribal people go to the forests in search of a karam tree, cut its branches and plant it in their courtyards. These twigs of the karam tree act as pesticides and even ward off prying birds and locusts from the crops.

Though the festival is meant for the protection of standing crops, the festival is now also observed by unmarried girls to pray for loving and even good-looking husbands. Those who are engaged pray for healthy children.