January 20, 2013: For eons, in South Orissa, tribals under the reign of the poet king Upendra Bhanja in Ganjam, performed the Bagh Nritya, a rite to appease the tiger goddess they worshipped. In light of the immense threat facing tigers, the goddesses Maa Bhyagra Devi and Maa Thukarani have evolved into a rallying point for tribals looking to conserve their precious forest lands.
Dates: January 20, 2013
Venue: Bhavan's College, Andheri, Mumbai
Contact Details: sunplugged@sanctuaryasia.com
Related info: http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/events/sunplugged-festival.html
Narayan Maharana, president of a government-aided organisation reviving the folk dances of Orissa, says: "The traditional animal and tiger dance has changed over the years. Trees have disappeared and the forest cover has shrunk. Tigers are (now) under threat in their habitats because of an intense man-animal conflict. The tiger goddess, in whose honour the dance is performed, has also changed her message. The goddess now campaigns to save the tigers. She orders her worshippers to foster man-animal amity and protect the forest."
