CHARAK - Folk Festival of India

It begins with Gajon….the Pre harvest Festival in the Bengali Month of Chaitra in between March & April of the calendar. It is mainly observed by the lower caste Bengali Hindus who regard themselves as the worshippers of Shiva.The main objective of Gajon is regeneration that is to bring back the fertility of soil, to restore the moisture of the soil,the principal source of life and livelihood in an agricultural society.Preparations of Gajon continue for almost the whole month of chaitra . People dress up like goddess Kali , Shiva , Parvati and other deities and perform various dances and other acts depicting scenes from the Hindu Mythology. Month long Gajan festival ends at chaitra sankranti …..which is associated with the hook swinging ritual or Charak . The name charak is derived from the word” chakra” or the wheel which represents the movements of the sun.It is symbolized by a high pole,from which the devotees hang suspended from iron hooks and rotate in a cyclic manner like a chakra or a wheel ,as a symbolic sacrifice to lord Shiva.

Year of Completion: 2021
Production Country: India
Film Language: English
Total Runtime: 11 min

Genre: Documentary