The Rods

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Warning: Some readers found the images of piercing disturbing

An old pre-harvest festival in The Indian state of West Bengal , in which men penetrate themselves with iron rods and hooks, was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus. But Sahar Zand - who attended The Event , the reports in April that many people believe that without this mark of devotion to the Hindu deity Shiva, the seed are doomed to failure.

It is early in the morning One Day , mid-April , almost exactly a year. On the banks of The River Ganges, a handful of Young Men sitting in a circle under The Shade of a large tree. They wear bright red and are selectively sharpen the iron rods, called bursees, each about 2 feet (60 cm) long. The sharper the rod, the lower The Risk of injury in The Ritual that awaits you later in The Day .

Sandos (left) and friends, on The Bank of The River

The Oldest Member of The Group , Sandos, 26, is the only one in this group that has participated in self-harm rituals before. Over The Years , he had impaled on his lips, ears, arms, chest, stomach and back, he tells me. Yes, it was painful, he says. "But pain is temporary, it is The Reward that will last. We all have to pay a price to get what we want. "

The Reward he is looking for is a Good Harvest . In The Village of Krishnadevpur in West Bengal , the pre-harvest festival of Gajan, coinciding with The End of the Bengali calendar, is the biggest celebration of the year. Participation is the ultimate way for farmers to show off their devotion to the Hindu deity Shiva, they believe, is responsible for granting them, a favorable climate for your plants.

"as soon As we begin the rituals," Sandos says to me, "our Lord Shiva about us, and we gain his Superhuman Strength and courage. "

the attention of Rahul , says he urges his parents To Let him participate, since he was 10 listening. He is now 15 and this year, after a series of poor harvests, his parents have reluctantly agreed.

"Shiva is not happy, and that is why we all suffer, he punishes us," says Rahul , as the rest of The Group nods in approval. "So we protect ourselves and our families from his anger, it is now more important than ever before, to prove our loyalty to him. "

as soon As the iron rods are sharp, one after The Other , The Men diving to clean The Holy river, their bodies and souls.

For The Last Six Years , the 22-year-old Ajoy also Gajan attended, but not This Time . He has skeptical. "If I don't see any results, why should I continue to harm yourself?" he asks.

He takes me to his Family Farm . Rows of rotting vegetables stretching in front of me, bounded by bare-mango-trees-and fly-infested fruits.

"Sometimes we don't get rain, when are we and our crops die in a drought to get The Other times we have such early and Heavy Rain , the flooding of our fields and the harvest is ruined," he says. Heat waves were becoming more intense.

The Problem of Climate Change is, Ajoy tells me, not Shiva's anger, and as soon as he finished studying Bengali literature at a college in Calcutta, he has decided to seek a job elsewhere.

Later in The Day , as The Festival is about to begin, hundreds of people fill in a housing the size of a football field: there are women in colorful saris, excited children running around, campfires, The Smell of local snacks and spices, and loud music booming from the speakers.

Sandos and Rahul are, gathered in the middle of The Field with The Other 100 or so men who, like you, wearing nothing but a red cloth around her waist. "Shiva is The Most powerful deity," they sing, "and all of his followers to his Worship . "

Rahul (center), singing

you have been chanting this mantra for Hours and Hours - it's a critical part of a process that is meant to bring you into a state of trance. You must fast on The Day of The Festival , but can drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. This is all thought to be at risk of injury.

As Rahul dances around The Priest , in a nutshell, the impale of the believers, his eyes are Wide Open , but he sees right through me.

The Crowd starts to tighten, as the Gore starts, The Women ululating.

I turn involuntarily. When I look back I see that I have a few of admirers, yet Shiva chanting the mantra, have already been back several iron rods in their Flesh - in your cheeks, ears, lips, nose, chest, arm,.

The Priest takes one of the Sandos is sharpened sticks and rubs them against a banana for lubrication. To pull mutters a mantra, he begins to Sandos' cheek. He was quickly pierces him with the rod. It is on the one hand, and on The Other side. Sandos frowns, and his whole body trembles. The Priest penetrates into the same cheek with two rods, so that they are All In .

Sandos keep the bursees The Priest pushed over his cheeks,

Rahul is The Next . He swerves to the front, his eyes tightly closed. The Priest begins with his earlobe. In addition to his lower lip, which she receives multiple piercings, how his upper lip. Finally, The Priest , The Rods makes two wounds, each an inch deep, in Rahul the chest, in the he in. A small tear is the only sign of pain I see on his face.

He tried to get on to sing Shiva mantra, his words muffled - the iron rods to limit sticking out of his face, his facial expressions. Another trailer picks Rahul up on his shoulders and starts strutting around in a circle with The Other , observed by the community.

To My surprise, I have a single drop of blood in the whole process.

is not But The Festival is still completely out of it. The faithful are now preparing Charak-Puja, The Last and probably the cruelest part of The Festival . For this final ritual of self-torture to the Next Level . A couple of experienced trailer swing on The Carousel depends on Nothing More than two hooks inserted through The Skin on your back.

The First in the series is Suman. He is 34 and says that he had been participating in Gajan rituals every year since he was 12.

At first The Priest refuses to impale him fight, he has no more free space on his back. But when Suman insists angrily, The Priest strikes his lower back, grabs a hand full of his meat, stretching it as far as he can, by forcing The Hook . Suman fists clench tightly, his eyes clamp closed, and the veins on his forehead look like they are about to pop. He falls into a swoon.

pour water on him and hit him to Wake him up. Then he stands up, Holding On to a pendant for balance, who directs him to get on a platform, on The Carousel . You tie The Rope to The Hook .

Suman is offset by The Other trailers on The Other side of The Carousel , both turning as the rest of the participants cheer them on. They show no sign of pain. Suman is smiling and interacting with the audience below him.

After a few laps, the brakes, The Carousel and Suman grabs one of the many babies, the parents to keep and you will receive Shiva's blessing. Suman and his colleague hold a crying baby for a turn, then back to his parents and another tomb.

"as long as the followers are not above, you are yourself, but you are Shiva in disguise," one mother tells me. "If my Lord has My Baby , I have nothing to fear. "

After about 10 Minutes , stop The Carousel , and Suman gets, replaced by another trailer. "The whole Time I was Up There , I felt connected spiritually with God, I felt like I was a bridge between him and the rest of the community," says he to me, with The Hook still in his back.

I ask him what he thinks would happen if Gajan was no longer happening.

"It's The End of The World will respond" Suman, without hesitation. "Lord Shiva's rage will destroy us all. "

But in April , when the community was preparing for Gajan, The Indian government imposed a ban due to Covid-19.

This year, Gajan did not take place - perhaps for the First Time in thousands of years.

Photography by Sahar Zand - listen to your radio documentation for the heart and soul on The Bbc World Service

india, coronavirus pandemic, hinduism, climate change

Source of news: bbc.com