Night Life in Parule Village

Illustration picture by Parimal Khanolkar

Night Life….The word surely triggers a feeling of clubs, disco and late night party. This blog will help you explore how well it can also be intimate and dearest way of life in Parule Village. And…Of coarse not…We do not have any pubs, party places or discotheques around…on the contrary we have our own inherent night lifestyle that is deeply imbibed in our blood.

Nights in the villages serve a great platform to the youngsters to display Bravery, valour and heroism due to its tranquility and quietude. Our forefathers had been exhibiting it through hunting wild Games like a wild bores, wild rabits, porcupine and the same after hunting used to be paraded in the village followed by seeking blessings from Village deity. God Vetoba is the village deity of Parule village who is believed to be patrolling during night for the reason of safety and security of the village. He is the great inspiration for the people who work during night.

Hunting used to be carried out for the protection of the crops. However such stunning wild life began to fade away at the cost of gradual civil advances which resulted in cutting Jungles.Consequently Villagers also took a decision to cease hunting and letting wild life prosper again. It is also a banned act now everywhere by law.

Night life in the villages also revolves around fishing activity in the backwaters. People carry petromax lanterns and start off their fishing activity in the river water. Our streams in the village are also a great source of delicious crabs. In the wake of a first Monsoon, People set out to grab some crabs in the stream. The curry made from such fresh Monsoon crabs is very much inviting and enjoyable.

Our vibrant village culture encompasses folk arts, devotional rituals, and religious festivals making night life all the more important part of the livelihood. To name few..the list starts with devotional songs programme (bhajan) performed by groups of villagers in the temple and in the houses of others as part of the rituals during Ganesh Chaturthi. Such performing groups(Bhajan Mandals) consist a leader singer who  invariably sits in the middle and plays harmonium, tabla player and other people .Typically every child in the villages grows up aspiring to be a Group leader of such performing groups. During Pre Ganesh chaturthi season trained and efficient villagers make beautiful Ganesh idols till long time during night. Such impetus is driven by a commitment to the other villagers to render Idols well in time.

Konkani Villages are also known for Dashavtar folk art or a drama performed in the temple as per the schedule. Such dramas start late in the night and almost all the villagers flock to the temple to enjoy drama and appreciate the discerning artists. The night atmosphere during drama becomes very stimulating as the smell of the freshly fried Kanda Bhaji and a smoke of bidi permeates the air.

Villagers also spend time under a Pipal tree before the dinner which allows them connect better with each other and subside weariness arose out of the activities during the day. After dinner few of them visit their respective fields as per the schedule, at the distance, to protect it from the wild animals. The cool breeze in fields and the glimmering stars in the sky makes the whole environment magical. Some villagers visit others for some help regarding peeling coconuts, removing skin of beetle nut etc.

Night life is also famous for some slender theft of skilled coconut climbers for an extra excitement. Such skilled people climb on the coconut tree effortlessly and deftly catch the extension stick of bunch of coconuts in their teeth so that it does not make any coconut falling sound. All the blog readers can guess how difficult and smart that must be. But it definitely does not mean all the land owners are stupid enough to be fooled around as one incidence told by my grandfather suggests. There was one land owner who wanted to teach a lesson. He lied in wait for such adventure seeker thief and as the thief kept coconuts aside to climb on another tree, a landlord silently grabbed all the coconuts and removed them from the place. As a thief got down from the tree did not find coconuts and sensed some paranoia .He left the place hurriedly and straightaway approached a Temple.