Nhaan

With these words, late poet Surajmal Vijay of Sangod village, Kota, encapsulates the Nhaan festival celebrated in south-eastern Rajasthan’s Hadoti region.

“No government can organise such an event even after spending crores of rupees,” says Rambabu Soni, a jeweller and resident of the village. “Not the way people of our village organise by their own will, for their own culture.” The village celebrates the festival for five days, just after Holi, in honour of the folk hero Sanga Gurjar who is believed to have lived here in the 15th century.

‘Nhaan’ which means ‘to bathe’ symbolises a collective cleansing and links the festival to Holi. It is entirely managed by the people of Sangod, who shed their daily routines and step into extraordinary roles, transformed by self-applied makeup and festive clothes.

“Around 400-500 years ago, during the rule of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan, there was a Vijayvargiya ‘Mahajan’ in Sangod,” says Rambabu Soni. “He used to work for Shahjahan. When he retired, he asked the emperor’s permission to organise Nhaan here. That’s when the festival began in Sangod.” 

Thousands from nearby villages also travel to Sangod to watch artists dazzle with dance performances, magic tricks and acrobatics. The celebration begins with the worship of Goddess Brahammani, followed by the distribution of ghoogri (boiled grains) as prasad.

“Magical skills will be displayed, swords will be swallowed, and many such acts will be performed here,” announces Satyanarayan Mali, himself one of the performers. “A man will eat pieces of paper and pull out a 50 feet long thread from his mouth.”

The days of festivities lead up to the eventual badshah ki sawari where an ordinary man is crowned king for a day, his regal procession winding through the village streets. For the past 60 years the role of the king has been in Rambabu’s family. “My father held the role for 25 years and I have continued this legacy for the past 35 years,” he says. “The post of the king is important, much like the lead actor is the main attraction in a film. This too is a film.”

For that day, whoever gets the role is also awarded the respect that goes with it.

“Yes, only for one day every year,” says one attendee. “Yes, for today he is the king.”