Bhubaneswar
Sailodi is a tribal cultural event held after the end of the harvesting season. Unmarried girls are the participants of this game of sorts, although the fun is shared by everyone.
On a moonlit evening, in a small village of Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, the girls congregate in an open field. They are from different tribes like Kondhs, Parajas, Saoras and Bararas.
Amid laughter and teasing, the youngsters begin singing and dancing their way through detailed descriptions of the beauty of moonlight, the vistas, rivers and other aspects of nature.
Pendra Prasad Nayak, vice-president of Malkangiri Zilla Kala Sanskruti Sangha, brings to attention a peculiar feature of this tribal cultural event. “There is no music, which is mostly an integral part of every tribal sociocultural function,” he points out to The Indian Tribal.
Jokes, though, are an integral component of the compositions, and there are sporadic punchlines to keep the audience in good humour. For instance, the girls exhort the spectators to join the game, issuing invitations with mock formality.
It’s a sporadic cultural event that the tribals look forward to through the winter months. In fact, regular sittings take place until summer sets in, according to Nayak.
He informs that once the harvesting is over and the Dussehra dazzle is down and out, it is time for Sailodi. “Though no time limit is prescribed for the longevity of the game, it is played invariably till summer sets in,” says Pendra.
