Masnaha & Pithorabad (Satna), Madhya Pradesh 

The sounds of the nagadiya start filling up the pathways in villages in the Baghelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, as Holi approaches. Along with the beats of the nagadiya, are heard snatches of songs called phag, sung especially in this season.

“The phag is as old as our ancestors. We have learnt them by word of mouth as they have been handed down over generations,” Ram Vishwas Kushwaha, a 60-year-old farmer from Masnaha village in Satna district, told Gaon Connection.

“People would gather in the chaupals (open spaces) in the village with their nagadiyas and dholaks, and sing. It still happens, but not as much as it would before,” Kushwaha said regretfully. He had learnt phag from his father, he said, and sang a verse or two. He is often invited to sing phag in neighbouring villages.

The singing of phag is closely associated with farming communities. During Holi, the farmers and their families would gather together to sing and enjoy the music. It was their source of entertainment, in days gone by.

Also Read: Dried flowers, fire, and merry making mark the Holi of Adivasis in Chhattisgarh

“Farmers at this time of the year are almost done harvesting the chana, masoor and arhar dal crops. It is the time for them to take a break from all the toil and celebrate Holi,” farmer Nathu Lal, who is also a renowned phag singer, told Gaon Connection. The 80-year-old Nathu Lal was preparing to sing at a phag mandali, organised at Masanha village, in the open fields of at the home of another farmer, Prabhakar Shukla.

Social significance of nagadiya and phag

Padam Shri Babulal Dahiya, who is a farmer-poet, beautifully explained the significance of the nagadiya and the phag singing to Gaon Connection: “All castes and communities living in the village participate in the phag singing.

These include the potter, carpenter, the leather tanner, the ironsmith, the herdsmen, farmers, etc. A village was considered complete in itself when all these different communities lived in it in harmony,” Dahiya said. It is still the case, but the tradition is giving way to modernity, he admitted.

Dahiya also pointed out that the nagadiya that is so integral to phag was made up of a base made of mud that was made by the potter, the skin on top was provided by the tanner, the ropes used to tie it all together were provided by the shepherds, and the sticks to play the nagadiyas were made by carpenters. “Phag and the nagadiya represent unity and harmony,” said the farmer-poet.

Holi bonfire

A week before Holi, preparations are made for the Holi bonfire. Outside the villages, a big wooden pole is fixed on the ground, surrounding which are arranged dry leaves, grass, etc. On the eve of Holi, villagers gather at the spot singing phag and the celebrations culminate with the bonfire which it is believe burns or drives away all the evil.

“The leftover ashes from the fire are used to play Holi along with the colours,” Dilip Dwivedi from Pithorabad village in Satna district, told Gaon Connection. “The singing of phag continues all day,” the 52-year-old said.

Also Read: Holi Bhai Dooj and the sister act

Fading phag tradition

“Sadly, the tradition of phag is fading. The younger generation does not have the patience and time for it. And, they have so many other means of entertainment,” Narayan Shukla, a 51-year-old phag proponent, told Gaon Connection.

“I enjoy the sounds of the nagadiyas, but do not understand what the phag songs say,” Ashish Singh a 24-year-old inhabitant of Didaundh village, told Gaon Connection. According to Singh, no one from the older generation has bothered to tell him what the songs were all about.

“Maybe it is the generation gap. Chaupals have been replaced by cafes,” Triyambkeshwar Misra, a 23-year-old youth chimed in.