The Barpali Days

Dec 5, 2012

10:59 PM

Pooja Dunguri - An abode of Pre-Historic Rock Paintings

Contributed by - Mr. Rameswar Naik

Pooja Dunguri is comparatively the bigger one out of all the rocky hills which exist on the border of the Binka-Rampur Tahasils in the district of Subarnapur of Odisha, India. The entire hill complex amid the bushy forest covers an area of about 1500/2000 square meters. Surrounding it there are some tribal villages like Adakasa, Chanabeda, Tangarkarley and Chandali. The forest is on the verge of extinction due to conversion of land for the cultivation. As many as twenty six granite hillocks surround Pooja Dunguri within a range of 100-500 meters. Among them the important ones are Ushakothi, Bagh Dunguri, Kabat Talei etc.

[a rock painting of an animal at Usha Kothi]

More importantly, some of the hillocks of the complex contain paintings executed on rock surfaces. While we come across the faded painting of a small animal at Pooja Dunguri and an enigmatic design at Bagh Dunguri, there is a panel of rock painting at Ushakothi (21 02’90” North and 83 41’98”East). Rock art is a world-wide phenomenon, its antiquity dates back to thirty millennium years when the early man was in the Mesolithic age, leading the life as a hunting-gatherer. He used microliths and in order to express his feelings executed art in the form of painting, engraving the rocks or carving the wood in his rock shelter. Rock art continued to be executed up to the iron-age i.e. 800 BC. We find evidences of Rock art at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. Where as in Odisha tribal rock paintings are found in the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Nuapada and Kalahandi. Western Odisha being the extension of the Chatishgarh and Chotnagpur plains, its geo-morphology and climatic conditions are very much akin to those regions. Ethno-archaeological study reveals that there was penetration of early man dwelling invariably into these parts of country, because of similar climatic conditions.

Puja Dunguri of Subarnapur district is the only rock-art site discovered so far in the undivided district of Balangir. The local name for the paintings here is “Putla Lekha”, which means ‘inscribed idols’. Those pre-historic human beings used to draw the figures of animals, human beings and other geometric patterns with hematite [Fe2o3] sticks which appears in mono-chrome ocher color. These ocher red paintings does not appear on the surface of the rock, but visible only when water is sprinkled on the surface of the rocks. So for all these reasons you need a local expert to guide you to the site. If you venture out on your own, you would never able to discover the place and the rocks carrying these art made with hematite.

[an engraved pattern on the rock]

There are two such marks (1) executed above 12/15 feet above the cult spot in pooja Dunguri. The mark is having an incised hole in the middle. (2) A leaf-like pattern engraved on a cliff-rock at a considerable height at Kabat Talei. Such patterns are also intended to be incised on natural rock formation at various places of the hill-complex. Concentration of rock paintings proves the inhabitation of prehistoric man in this region. You could witness a series of such paintings on the wall and ceiling of Ushakothi, which believed to be a rock shelter. To the extreme left of the panel, a deer-like animal is shown with pegs and harpoons on its body. On the right side of this animal an obscure scene of hunting of an animal by the tribe has been shown. On the extreme right side a dwarfish animal which seems to be a boar has been drawn. A long figure is depicted vertically, which might be that of a monitor lizard. All these figures are drawn on mono-chrome ochre colour. These rock paintings indicates to the hunting by the Mesolithic man. The charred bone pieces of bovine and caprice animals found from the cavities of the rocks along with the cord-impressed clay attest to the fact that once it was the abode of the hunting-gatherer who might have lived as herdsman. Carbon date backing of the relics by the forensic experts is sought to ascertain its antiquity.

[Charred bone pieces]

[Hand stones & ring stones]

These hillocks along with Pooja Dunguri have pre-historic importance. Surface exploration have revealed certain artifacts such as pottery shreds, microliths, ring stones, grinding stone, mullers , charred bone pieces, fragment of bluish-green glass bangle, bronze bangles, cord - impressed lumps of clay, fragments of iron implements and sticks of hematite (geru). It is important to note that almost in each and every hillock traces of engravings are found. They are both geometrical and non-geometrical patterns such as oval, triangular, triangle with a hole, foot mark, sun marks, multiple lines, lines with cut-marks etc. Besides these, there are scoop mark on rock surfaces and big grinding holes on the floor. The size of the scoop range from 1.5 feet in diameter and 1 feet in depth in case of the biggest one to 1-2 inches of the smaller cup-marks. In local terms the cup mark are called “ganjei bata” or “cannabis grinding”. A tunnel to the east of Pooja Dunguri is named Baba Math and is believed as the abode of the mystical sadhus. The cup-marks might have fetched such a name for place as Shadhus are believed to be fond of cannabis.

In the recent past traces of Neolithic and chalcolithic settlements of early men have been found from places like Hikudi, Khambeswaripali, Kumersingha and Nuagad on the river bank of Mahanadi, in the Sonepur-Birmaharajpur region. Discovery of pre-historic paintings and engravings in the hill complex of Pooja Dunguri in the Mahanadi valley further strengthens the fact that there was penetration of early man into this district. An archeological survey of this site will unravel more authentic information about this potentially rich site.

This historian could be contacted at :

rameswarnaik12@rediffmail.com

Cell # 91 94 378 32833

Mr.Rameswar Naik

Reader in History, Barpali College, Barpali - 768029

AT/Po. Barpali-768029, Odisha

The Blogger

kiranbima@gmail.com

E.Kiran Mohan

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO : BARPALI – 768029

Dist.Bargarh, Odisha, India

Cell # 91 99 371 20565

E Kiran Mohan 3

Oct 28, 2012

Stories 5:32 PM

Bhow Bhow

The other morning when I took out my wallet there a hundred rupee note was missing. I was disturbed again as my things are missing one after another. It is worry some especially when your things are stolen at your own home. I won’t waste my time reporting an FIR in a police station even if my entire wallet would have been pick pocketed in the public transport while travelling Bargarh in the local bus. May God forgive, as under the given circumstances I doubted on my house maid Sumani. But when Sumani came to attend her daily ordeal, she submitted a moiled out piece of Rupee Hundred to my mother that she discovered while sweeping the floor beneath the bed. It was evident to be yet another prank of Daina, the five months old Labrador we got at home. The previous night while re-organising my wallet this note might have escaped and fallen on the floor. Diana must have picked it, this is the conclusion all that I able to draw. Prior to this my mother misplaced her spectacles somewhere and went blind for half a day. I told her, Amma you are getting old that is why forgetting the things to remember. But by evening the broken pieces of the spectacle were recovered, while the glass was intact and scratch less.

As such rearing dogs is not something new to my family. My parents are fond of dogs and we kept a dog which ever house we lived had a campus with the ground area. For the past four years we got Dany the male Labrador dog. But now we got Diana the new kid on the block. And to be true, the public at Barpali think, people don’t get food to eat where as we are feeding two foreign dogs. This is how a neighbor’s envy becomes an owner’s pride.

As Diana’s teeth are growing, to sharpen it up she has got the tendency to bite one and everything where ever her mouth reaches. She left no furniture at home un-bitten; let it be the legs of the dining table, edge of the bed or the arm resting of the sofa set. The surviving wooden furniture which my mother got in her marriage from my maternal grandpa almost 42 years back are now taking their last breath.

[the furniture being disfigured by Diana]

As such my mother is the one who over feeds her three children let it be me, Dany or the Diana. But looking at the ever inflating prices of non-veg my Mother made it a point to make Diana a strict vegetarian from the day one. Initially my Mom used to spoon-feed her Cerelac, the human baby food. But how could you change the inborn nature of a mammal which is carnivorous. But one day while it was raining, Diana discovered a corpse of a baby crane in our garden. She picked that and brought it home. She entered her favorite space to hide i.e. under the wooden bed. She had her first ever non-vegetarian breakfast. With this the long standing penance of my mother was foiled. In the days to follow she also brought a un-cooked fresh small fish which might have been dropped from the beak of a crane in the garden. Let whatever their habits, I found these dogs highly disciplined in their eating habits. Unlike me they are not greedy. Dany is highly disciplined in her eating habits. Just two course of meals a day, that too no extra roti. When these dogs have their food, they go on playing and jumping around, as they got no school to attend. When exhausted they return home and catch a nap for couple of minutes. Unlike me this is how these dogs live life without worrying for tomorrow, while just being happy and contended for the day.

[school going kids while teasing ]

During the day hours when my mother would be bizzy in her cooking or her other choir at home, these dogs seat either at the corner or lay under the bed, but all the time keep on staring at my mother with their twinkling eyes. They might be sleeping but when wakes up, first go in search of my mother. Every weekdays at around 12.30 noon on the back street children return home from school. There are a few naughty kids who dare to come near the window and shouts as “bhow bhow”. And immediately our pair of dogs would join the band wagon. When Dany or Diana barks in retaliation, the kids shout as “a kukur” and flee the place while laughing loudly. This is how the street children enjoy teasing Dany and Diana.

During the monsoon one mid night Dany came upstairs and barked near the door as “bhow bhow”. When I opened the door she came inside and lifted her rear leg over the wooden cupboard. I did not punish him while understanding his plight, as it was raining insistently for the entire evening. Dany is very much choosy and civilized to attend the call of the nature only at the dry and clean places. It is good to have a short memory like what Dany have. Because, unlike me, it does not live life in the past. It got no sense of revenge or the guilt in its life.

When I would be there at home they heed no attention to me. But when I return home after a day’s work, while one dog would snatch away my LIC cloth bag, the other would snatch away my shoes as if they were missing me for long. They would take my shoe and show it to my mother to tell that I have returned home. These dogs don’t know how to express love, so they push me or scratch me with their sharp nails. So far together they tore at least half a dozen of my Sambalpuri cotton shirts. These dogs have really made my life breathless and miserable at my home.

It is not only the two dogs at home, but any other canines on the street as well often taught me a lesson, one or the other way. Once while I was having singada (Indian snax) on the street one street dog came and was silently starring at me. When I finished my breakfast it started wagging its tail. The jubilation with which it moved its tail from one end to the other has made me indebted towards it, even when in no way it was related to me. I was forced to buy two pieces of these samosas and given them to her.

[Esha with Dany at home]

[Esha while playing with Diana]

Two years back my mother fell briefly sick. The gas stove in the kitchen was shut as there is no second female at home to cook. Me and my Father got the breakfast, lunch and dinner ordered from the hotel. But Dany stayed hungry for the whole two days without partaking even a biscuit or a loaf of bread. This humble dog set on the bed while keep on licking the feet of my mother, as if it wants to embrace my mother. And Dany had his food only when my mother was back to normal health and cooked rotis for him with her own hands.

“Bhow bhow………..”

Excuse me these two dogs are barking again, I need to go and check what is the issue for now.

kiranbima@gmail.com
Cell # +918249314972

E. KIRAN MOHAN (The Writer)

Tahsil Chowk, Near SBI,

At\PO - BARPALI - 768029

Dist. Bargarh

Odisha, India

E Kiran Mohan 35

Oct 20, 2012

6:02 PM

Sambad says The Malgudi Days of Western Odisha = The Barpali Days

The Sambad news paper has published an article on the literary works of E.Kiran Mohan and about this blog "Barpalidays" on 19th October 2012. It is the most widely read and largest circulated daily in Oriya vernacular. It is the news paper which got a deep penetration in the society. Sambad has got 28 years of publishing history. It is published from eight key centres in the state. It got over 60 lakhs of daily readership. They have published a big article of one fourth of a full news paper size in colour.

They have given the image of Chaul Bara post of this blog in the news paper.

kiranbima@gmail.com

E.Kiran Mohan

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO : BARPALI – 768029

Dist.Bargarh, Odisha, India

E Kiran Mohan 6

Aug 23, 2012

handlooms 12:28 PM

What is IKAT

Ikat means the “tie and dye” technique of weaving which has been invented by the mankind since time immemorial. The word “ikat” likely to be originated from the Indonesian language “mangikat” which literally means tying a bunch of yarn to dye, before its weaving. This method of weaving is popularly known as “Bandha” in Odisha where as it is called “Bandhni” in Gujrat.

The procedure to weave a length of any cloth is to firmly interlace the yarn horizontally and vertically. On the other hand in the ikat weaving the yarn is tinted at the needed places prior to it’s weaving. The yarn when loaded vertically into the handloom machine it is called warp (tani), while the horizontal yarn which shuttles in between the warp is called the weft (buna). The warp is the tightly stretched length wise core of the fabric which tends to be stronger and coarser, while the weft is woven between the warp threads to bring various patterns on the textile. Mostly the resist dyeing is done on the weft yarn which is loaded in a shuttle. But even a more complex work is done by double-ikat, where both the warp and the weft undergo the resist dyeing. The double-ikat fabric got the same design at both sides of the cloth. This unique feature could never be possible on any cloth manufactured in a power loom, despite the fact so much advances made in the technology ever since the industrial revolution a century back.

To produce an ikat saree entire family members are engaged for a week to four week time depending upon the intricacy of the design. So you could assess how labour intensive is this industry which in fact provides livelihood to thousands of families nationwide.

[Single ikat]

[Double ikat]

Before the weaving the yarn is pre-fabricated with colour by resist dyeing technique. As per the design the bunch of yarn is tightly tied with the cotton threads at the needed places and then drenched in colour. The confiscated area of the yarn retains the original colour (white) while the remaining portion of the yarn absorbs the colour in which it has been soaked. When the yarn is dried, the knots are opened with hands and then it goes through a series of hand operated tools like asari, upharna, badhikatar, punraa, kamancha, kamda, rahata(called charkha in Hindi), phani, nari(shuttle), nalli (bobbin) before entering monga. Monga is otherwise popularly known as khatkhati for the echo “khat khat” which is generated from the wood while the handloom machine is operated.

Cell # +918249314972

kiranbima@gmail.com

E.Kiran Mohan(The Writer)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO : BARPALI – 768029

Dist.Bargarh, Odisha, India

E Kiran Mohan 4

Aug 4, 2012

10:33 AM

“The Samaja” news paper has acknowledged "Barpalidays"

“Samaja” the oldest Oriya news paper has published an article on its 1^st August 2012 issue about the writer E. Kiran Mohan and his blog www.barpalidays.blogspot.in 'The Samaja', is a mass circulated and widely read Odiya daily that has completed ‘Ninety Two’ years of its glorious publication. It was founded in 1919 by the great Oriya visionary, nationalist and freedom fighter, Utkalamani Pandit Gopabandhu Das.

''The Samaja'' stands for high standards of accuracy, authenticity and the core value for its journalism. It has a readership of around Sixteen lakh having a daily circulation of around three lakh units and published from eight places i.e. Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Balasore, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Kolkatta and Vizag spread across three States - Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

kiranbima@gmail.com

Cell # +918249314972

E. KIRAN MOHAN(The Writer)

C\o. Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D),

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO: BARPALI – 768029,

Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India.

E Kiran Mohan 0

Jun 6, 2012

Children Stories 10:21 PM

EXCAVATE THE CURIOSITY IN YOUR CHILD

[This article has been published by India's premier ladies magazine "The Women's Era" in its 1st May 2012 issue]

Every growing-up kid has got the curiosity to know about the unknown things. In fact it is the curiosity that helps a kid of a tender age to explore the knowledge. It is this knowledge, which in turn helps them to build-up life successfully. I got my nephew Sreyanshu. I have been watching him closely since his birth. This kid of six years old is perhaps the naughtiest kid on earth. Like any other kid, he is very demanding. All his wishes need to be fulfilled instantly; otherwise he creates a war-zone at home. Whenever he sees any new toy in the hand of another child, he would start nagging to buy it. The moment you buy it, he will go on displaying his price possession to one and all, at home and on the street. But before the day ends, he breaks it into pieces. Either he will remove the battery of the toy-car, or he will pull out the head-light or take-out the wheels. The following day he starts the jumble game. He will invent a never seen before toy, by amalgamating the broken parts.

He would always share with me his secret desires and wishes which go unfulfilled by his parents. Initially I used to buy a toy whenever returning from a trip. But one day when I discovered four cardboard boxes full of broken toys beneath his bed, I stopped buying anymore play things for him. As a consequence of which I lost the popularity in his life compare to his Karun Chachu, who often brings expensive imported toys while coming from New Delhi. He often asked me to buy one mati-kudda (earth-excavator) for him. But I was reluctant, as everything goes to the dustbin. I made him agree to my condition that, he will donate the broken toys to the poor kids on the street, who fails to buy toys. Finally Sreyanshu donated a trigger-less gun and a wheel-less car to Bibhuti a poor kid from the neighborhood.

[Sreyanshu]

Finally this June 4th (2010) evening he ran-down to me with excitement to inform that, there is an Monster like machine on the street. He saw this yellow coloured earth excavator for the first time in his life, as these machines are unseen in the middle of a small town. These are generally used in the construction of roads or in the open-pit mines. When we both went to check, found a mammoth machine leveling the ground for the upcoming Sital Sasthi Jatra (fair). He was jumping with the excitement to watch this monster like machine at work. He told me to buy this yellow coloured machine for him. I looked at his eyes to say regretfully, I don’t have Rs.30 lacs or so, to buy it.

He was disappointed, but kept on narrating about his wild imaginations of how powerful this machine is. We were watching the excavator from an elevated place near the road, when it neared us I waved my hands to the pilot to stop it. The dinosaur like machine halted, I took Sreyanshu near the machine. I asked the pilot to switch-off the machine by waving my hands as nothing was audible. I said “LIFT PLEASE”. The pilot of the vehicle was puzzled and at the same time got excited. He opened the doors to invite this kid. But Sreyanshu started getting nervous. I assured him not to fear, as I would be watching him from a distance. When the kid entered the cabin, the pilot shut the doors and started the engine. For 15 minutes or so he was in this monster like machine, to till and level the ground. Finally when the machine returned, Sreyanshu got down from the vehicle safely with the sparkling eyes. I asked Sreyanshu to say thanks to the pilot. And he did so.

While we were returning home this kid told me, “ Kiran Chachu don’t worry, when I have enough coins in my kiddy-bank I shall buy it on my own. And I shall give you a ride in it.”

This is how the elders should encourage kids to fulfill their hearts desires. I may not have bought a excavating toy for him, but I helped him to excavate the curiosity that was hidden within him. With money you might be able to buy toys, but could never buy knowledge or the happiness.

[the cover page of 1st May 2012 issue of The Women's Era where this article has been published]

kiranbima@gmail.com
WhatsApp # +918249314972

E.Kiran Mohan(The writer)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao(MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO: BARPALI – 768029
Dist. Bargarh, Odisha,India

E Kiran Mohan 9

May 15, 2012

10:38 AM

Pattachitra paintings by Pranab Narayan Das

[The Trinity - Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra]

[Mukhasala-The Gokuram of a temple]

[Lord Jagannatha as Vishnu]

[Dancing Ganesha]

[Jugal Rasaleela]

[Lord Siva at the feet of Maha Kali]

[Goddess Durga doing Mahisasura mardani]

[Lord Tirupati, the Balaji]

[The epic Ramayana drawn on the canvas by Pattachitra]

[The Tribal Art]

[Pancha Mukhi Ganesha - the Lord Ganesha with five heads]

This artist could be contacted at :

PRANAB NARAYAN DAS

C/o.GOBINDA CHANDRA SAHOO

PRAGATI BHAWAN

SUBHADRA KUNJ

RAI BAHADUR LANE,

BALAGANDI

PURI 752002. ODISHA

pranabdas76@yahoo.com

MOBILE # 91 94 376 32111

91 97 769 24900

kiranbima@gmail.com

E. KIRAN MOHAN,

C\o. Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D),

Tehsil Chowk,

At\PO – BARPALI – 768 029,

Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India.

Cell # 91 99 371 20565

E Kiran Mohan 0

Apr 6, 2012

8:34 AM

Ainthu Sahu – Conserving the Metal crafts of Western Odisha

In the metropolitan cities the art connoisseurs flux to the exhibition grounds to pick the contemporary craft works. But you never know, the ethnic Indian crafts might be hidden somewhere there in your kitchen cabinet handed over to you by the ancestors.

Meet Shri Ainthu Sahu of Barpali, the head of a kansari family whose vocation is to trade on the kitchen utensils. For generations altogether the family of Mr.Sahu have carried the business of selling of both brass and the bell metal cutleries. Over the past four decades while carrying his business he had conserved many ancient brass and bell-metal craft works of Odisha and the adjoining state of Chattisgarh. He express his anguish that today here left not a single artisan alive who could recreate even a replica of the pieces he possess. Mr.Ainthu wish to convert his collectibles into a museum soon some day. Each of his collections carry the rich untold cultural history of India. Sadly this has not been documented till date by anyone.

Many a times while the people of adjoining villages digging a pond, irrigation canal or the foundation for a house construction they unearth ancient brass and the copper utensils. Those people bring the antique things for selling it to Ainthu Sahu in exchange for the new cutleries. Ainthu keeps them instead of sending it to the smelter to remake a new utensil.

[Gaja Saraswati - an ornament box]

This elephant though looks to be a display artefact for your living room, but in reality it’s a ornament box. It is made of brass metal. It measures 13.5” inches in height and weighs 2.6 kgs. It was likely to be 40 years old and was made at Jampali of Sonepur District of Odisha. It carry one box mounted on top of the elephant and the other secret chamber inside the stomach of it to keep the ornaments. At the top of the box you would find goddess Saraswati sitting and playing her musical instrument bina.