Bhubaneswar, Feb. 12: For the group of eight foreigners, who got an opportunity to experience the lifestyle of the ethnic communities of Mayurbhanj district, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The group that had come from USA, Canada, Italy, Sweden and Spain were on an exposure visit to the state.
Their trip that began on January 12 concluded today with the visitors sharing their understanding of the tribal existence and interacting with students of the Utkal University of Culture today.
The month-long programme let the overseas guests dwell with the people and get an idea of their culture, skills and traditions. From taking part in their marriage function to witnessing the funeral rites, the visitors experienced every aspect of their daily lives.
Jennyfer Collin, a writer from Canada, raved endlessly about the tribal gods worshipped in the district and the names with which various tribal clans worship the Sun God.
"Most of their gods are situated on hilltops, and we used to wake up early in the morning to climb to the top. It was very challenging, and we learnt a lot of interesting facts. While Santhalese call the Sun God Thakur Jew, the Ho Munda pray them as Singabonga," said the 36-year-old writer.
Collin feels the tour has been quite helpful in her research work. "I am going to write a book on midwives, and I am doing extensive research for it. There are a lot of midwives in the district, and many of them are quite aged and experienced. I spoke to them and got a lot of information," said the visitor.
The visitors also celebrated the prominent festival of the district, Makar Parba, with the ethnic people. "I had never experienced something like this. We had delectable mutton curry, country liquor and danced to their music that was extremely catchy," said Korin Miller from USA.
Throughout the journey, the visitors captured their experiences in documentaries, paintings and photography.
When asked about the best thing that they liked about the people, Robin Dahlquist from Sweden promptly replied: "I loved their sense of freedom and the fact that they are quite happy and contented in their set-up. Moreover, they were extremely generous and welcoming."
The trip, which was facilitated by a Delhi-based organisation Bhor, helped them imbibe the essence of ethnic culture and promote it beyond borders.
For the students of the culture university, it was an opportunity to know about foreign society. "I got to know about a lot of things about ways oflife outside India. They had been with us for a short while, but we became good friends," said Swornalata Nayak, a student of the varsity.
