From corporate jobbers to farmers—everyone’s life is at its peak. Compulsively praying according to one’s faith.
Today, the main focal point of the conversation is ‘hot’. The situation is the same everywhere from the capital to the peripheral areas. In this heat, the people’s life is like the disturbed crop fields of Chowchi. From corporate jobbers to farmers—everyone’s life is at its peak. Compulsively praying according to one’s faith.
Some are praying in the open ground for rain, some are marrying frogs in folklore, some are remembering the creator in songs – begging for rain. Prayers for rain, frog weddings and songs—none of them are new in Bengal. A hundred years ago the picture was not so different. Everyone tried for rain.
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Prayer for rain
The prayer offered for rain is called ‘Istiskar Namaz’ in Islamic terms. We can understand from the memoirs of Ibrahim Khan that this term is not new in Bengal.
Principal Ibrahim Khan was born in 1894, at Bhuyapur in Tangail. As a child, he joined prayers for rain. He wrote this experience in ‘Batayan’: “Bishti might have come, might not have come. If it didn’t come, the matbars of this village would have said: ‘You can’t say it alone! And the ground of the field has become scorched with grass, now sitting in the shade is not allowed. Let’s go to the field in groups, there, with the fire-dropping sun on our heads, we pray. It used to be like that, people would go in groups and participate in Bishti prayers.”
Begum Sufia Kamal was born in Shaistabad, Barisal, in 1911. Rain prayers can also be seen in the memory of his childhood. Wrote: “If it didn’t rain, everyone would pray in the open fields with bare heads and bare feet. Girls would pray in wet clothes with wet hair. It really rained.” In this commentary of Sufia Kamal, it is seen that while the men are praying in the open field for rain, the women are not sitting at home, but they are also praying for rain by saying Dua Darud. The presence of men and women in the worship of rain was hundreds of years ago – if not incredible, but amazing!
Another recollection of prayer is found in Shamsul Haque’s autobiography. He was born in 1925, in Rangpur. Regarding prayer for rain, he wrote: “I went to pray the Esteskar prayer in the waterless bill next to our house. The thousands of villagers who were present cried for hours in the scorching sun for rain. By God’s will. After a while, clouds came over the sky. In the afternoon, there were big clouds. The rain fell in drops. We got cold after getting the water. We children went out to enjoy the rain water.”
It is proved by the testimony of three people that the practice of praying for rain was active in the Muslim society of Tangail, Barisal and Rangpur even a hundred years ago. It cannot be said that this movement did not exist in Muslim society in other parts of the country. And in the current heat wave, the Muslims are praying for rain in different places almost every day. These scenes are being published in the media.
Frog’s wedding
The custom of invoking rain through frog weddings is part of Bengali folk culture. This has been common in many places for a long time. Monsoon is the favorite season of frogs. Hence the excessive croaking of frogs is regarded as a prediction of rain. Khanar says:
Know that it will rain soon when the frog calls.
In the scorching heat and without rain, two frogs are led by the girls and placed in a hole filled with water and given an imaginary marriage. Then everyone present recites the rhyme in unison. For example:
Bia of Bengi Chheri
With a golden ladoom
Bring down the yellow clouds.
Uncle Mia cried and sat in the field
The fields are barren and without water.
Bring down the yellow clouds.
Different types of frog marriage customs are practiced in different places. But whatever the custom, the center is the frog wedding. Another rhyme composed for recitation at this wedding:
Benger jhir bia go,
Aldi Diya of Girstha.
Don’t you see the purple cloud?
Benger jhir bia go,
Afon Mendi leaves.
Don’t you see the purple cloud?
The ritual and the rhymes written for the recitation of the frog wedding suggest that it is a festive affair. A festive mood prevails wherever it is held. A different atmosphere is created in the wailing for rain and the marriage of frogs.
Rain rhymes, songs and shinny
The custom of praying to the Creator by singing rhymes and songs in the absence of rain is also very old in Bengal. Apart from rhymes and songs composed for recitation during the mentioned frog marriages, prayer-katar rhymes for rain are not uncommon. For example:
Come rain
Cloudy sky.
If you don’t come bro
Field opening crops that r
Not protected.
There are several such rhymes in the memory of Principal Ibrahim Khan. He wrote: “If there was no Bishti for a long time, the older children would form groups from village to village, go from house to house, the elders would bring water from pitcher to pitcher and pour it outside the house, then they would roll around. The children would go inside; They tumbled in joy and sang aloud:
Its cool
cane band
gurgling
bring the rain
After two or four tumbles, he sang again:
Deva scored a goal.
Puban chala Bao
Tottering across the sea
He is not the closest saint
Deva scored a goal.
No! Bishti’s temper does not soften though. Then they raised their hands in disgust:
Paddy went desperate
Holding rice paddies
Sonar Bishti Namre
Sherel went to Puriya.”
The custom of singing songs for rain is still visible in our country. In the ongoing heatwave, scenes of singing songs have spread online in some places. ‘Alla Megh De, Pani De Chhaya Dere Tui/ Alla Megh De’ — the song was often sung in Bengal even hundreds of years ago in the absence of rain. This is one of the most popular hymns written about prayers for rain. Many a time the neighborhood boys used to go from house to house singing:
God’s house in the sky
Then the temple mosque
God give me water
Take my count.
Haila they are thirteen brothers,
There is no water to wash the plough.
Prayers to Allah, marriage of frogs and songs have all become monotonous from the memories narrated by Aziz Michi. Aziz Michir, who was born in Brahmanbaria in 1927, reminisces about this: “There is no rain for a long time. The land is dry and dry. It is not possible to plough, everyone’s hands are on their cheeks. As if someone said, let’s pray for rain. If we pray for rain, it will rain! That’s right. What should be done? Put a frog in a broken bowl and go around with it. Alla de pani de song.
For hundreds of years, Bengali Muslims, suffering from lack of rain and scorching heat, have been using the mentioned methods for rain. Although somewhat modified, this continuity of taking refuge in religion and geographical culture in drought and drought is still going on in Bengal today.
The girls of the house I will visit will come forward and pour a pitcher of water on the frog bearer’s head. The responsibility fell on me (it can be said that the responsibility was imposed, everyone argues) to take the frog’s head. Imagine wandering around the village all day. Everyone poured a pitcher of water and gave a whole rice. After being wet all day, fever came before evening. Fainted in that fever for three days. I was saved from dying of fever with much difficulty. No more eating mango rice.”
Now it turns out, praying to God for rain, frogs and rain songs are all present! Religion and folklore are intermingled in a manner that also hints at the distinctive culture of Bengali Muslims. There was also a custom of eating Shinni with rice raised on the tops of rainwater mangoes. By this basically a festive atmosphere was created and enjoyed by all. In Baul Shah Abdul Karim’s book ‘Letter of Bhati’, this is found in this context:
“There was a rule if it didn’t rain in Magha.
Little girls sang bengaberi songs.
In the month of Magh, the young men of the village get together.
Song by Baghai Shinni sung in Su-Bristhir Manse
Chaul used to earn money by singing songs from house to house.
They prepared Shinni and ate it together.
For hundreds of years, Bengali Muslims, suffering from lack of rain and scorching heat, have been using the mentioned methods for rain. Although somewhat modified, this continuity of taking refuge in religion and geographical culture in drought and drought is still going on in Bengal today.
