Clay diyas and lanterns light up urban homes during Diwali. But for the Thakars, a tribe living on the outskirts of Pune, Tiwli means earthen lamps in their thatched huts. It is their frenetic dance steps, which adds colour to their spirits. The loud beat of the dhol is a call for coming together. The Thakars are tribals, peculiar to western Maharashtra and their abode is in Nagyachawadi, a small hamlet of the main village Pathraj. Pathraj is 25 kilometres away from Karjat, which is 90 kilometres away from Pune. Narrow roads lead to Pathraj, the main village from Karjat. From Pathraj, a 25-minute walk on a dirt-track takes one to Nagyachawadi.`Amhi thakar thakar thakar ranachya ga pakhara.' (we are Thakars, the butterflies of the woods) is the essence of their existence, sung as an evergreen song. It makes sense when you witness so much soothing and lush greenery around. Women in the village can be seen in their traditional garb, Lugde (robe) and the choli. Lugde is a cotton towel tied to their waist so as to leave their legs bare.The traditional houses are rectangular, with two-sloped roofs, thatched with grass, closed with bamboo matting walls and plastered with cowdung. They have no ventilation, except for one main door and a back door.Thakars have a special way of celebrating Diwali. Says Moru Thorat, ``Diwali, for us, is only for two days. On the first day of the Diwali the khot (head) of the village breaks a coconut in the name of the village God Chedoba as a gesture of respect. At home we boil chai (corm), sweet potato, and chauli (pulses) and the whole family eats it together as a special breakfast on Diwali.''This depicts the age old food-gathering tradition of the tribes. The grain, primary wealth of the tribe is stored in huge wicker baskets, called kangas, and placed at the door. These kangas are worshiped during Diwali. Dr Robin Tribhuvan, consultant Anthropologist in Tribal Research Institute says,``If any new variety of rice is introduced and harvested after Diwali, it is rejected as it can not become apart of their celebrations.''They also decorate their bulls and cows, and as Thorat puts it, ``We organise dora. During dora all the villagers gather their cattle at a common place. Hay is lined on the ground up to a height of two to three feet and lit. The cattle are made to jump over it with the drum beating loudly in the background.'' After the ritual is completed, the cattle is let loose in the jungle, for about six months, till the next cultivation season begins. Explaining the importance of the custom, Agivley Shankar, a village elder said, ``We believe that if the cattle can cross the fire then it can also face the tiger in the jungle.''As the sun descends, the women of the house, light the tiwli''(lamp). These Thakars consider the woman as the most important person of the house who brings glory to the house. The lamp is made from a fruit called chibra and it is placed on the stand made of cowdung. At night they worship their Guru Param Sadguru Maharaj at home. Thakars' Gauri dance adds color to the celebrations. The Gauri is performed only by the young boys. Women have their own dance which is performed by them only till Dassera. After Dassera they do not dance. But Shewanta Thorat says, ``We have not danced for the last three years. No one has time now.''Typical Diwali sweets comprise puranpoli and karanji and as Ragini Thorat says,``we have never seen ladoo and we don't know how a Diwali ladoo looks.''.Changuna's few last words really provide an answer to their simple lifestyle, ``We don't have money therefore Diwali is not special for us and we wear such clothes because we don't have money to buy a sari.''
