Gussadi-Dandari Remains a Cultural Identity of Adivasis During Diwali
Those who take part as Gussadis travel in groups from one village to another as guests, performing Gussadi and Dandari dances in their traditional attire.
ADILABAD: Hundreds of Adivasi gudems in the erstwhile Adilabad district are witnessing the annual Gussadi-Dandari cultural celebrations during Diwali, with traditional drum-beats reverberating through the settlements.
The colourful dances are a distinctive feature of the celebrations, through which Adivasis preserve their cultural identity. Leaders cutting across political parties are visiting Adivasi gudems and joining the dances to traditional drumbeats.
Adivasi men and youth participating in the event wear headgear made of peacock feathers, carry goat and deer skins and decorate their bodies with different designs. Gussadis, including men, youth and teenagers, also wear small bronze bells, flowers, mirrors and other decorative items.
Those who take part as Gussadis travel in groups from one village to another as guests, performing Gussadi and Dandari dances in their traditional attire.
Diwali is a major festival for Adivasis, who celebrate it with religious fervour and traditional rituals. The festival begins with Bhogi. The Gussadi-Dandari celebrations conclude with a ritual called Kolabodi, two days after Diwali.
The event also has a role in strengthening relations between villages and arranging marriages. Prospective brides and grooms express their interest after watching the dances and observing the behaviour and hospitality of people in the villages. They exchange views during their stay.
Families across the village take part in the celebrations and keep their houses clean during the festival. The sticks used in Kolatam, the ‘rokal’ and the Gussadi headgear made of peacock feathers are preserved after performing puja to their traditional deity, Ethmasar Pen.
Gussadi-Dandari troupes visit villages to strengthen ties and help arrange matches for prospective brides and grooms. Gussadis also act as traditional matchmakers, with villagers seeking information about conditions in other villages and prospective brides and grooms.
Adivasi leader Pandra Jayawanth Rao of Utnoor said Diwali was a major festival for Adivasis and Gussadi-Dandari was a special part of the celebrations. All Adivasi gudems were in a festive mood, he said.
He said Gussadi-Dandari reflected the unique traditions and culture of Adivasis, passed down through generations. Adivasi women and girls perform Dhimsa during the festival, he added.
During Diwali, a large number of Gussadis visit the Padmalpuri Kako temple of Ethmasar Pen on the banks of the Godavari near Gudirevnu in Dandepalli mandal of Mancherial district to seek blessings.
Ethmasar Pen is regarded as a mother figure by Adivasi Gussadis and Dandaris, and is associated with the instruments used during the Gussadi-Dandari celebrations.
Sidam Sonerao of Mattadiguda said, “They have been following the traditions and rituals that have been passed down from their ancestors and strictly following their culture, since preserving the culture is but protecting their identity.”