The Bhil tribes from Central India are said to believe in the coexistence of souls of the dead and the living in the same realm.
The exotic rituals and traditions of the tribe, which inhabit areas of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan has been explored in a contemporary dance theatre directed and choreographed by Vikram Mohan.
The play, "After Death - The Spiritual Journey," revolves around the story of a bhil man who meets with an accident and despite several attempts to save his life he dies and his spirit begins to haunt the entire village. In order to make sure he rests in peace his family and friends msut perform a ritual.
"The bhils believe that the soul never leaves the environment, even after death," says the city-based choreographer.
Similar to the concept of salvation in Hinduism, which is said to put the soul of the dead to rest, the Bhils believe that the restless spirits of dead people will continue to haunt until they are offered a place to stay in.
The agitated soul of the deceased man eventually resorts to his mother's body, who is then taken to a tantric or priest for exorcism.
As the priest questions the spirit about what he wants, the latter expresses his desire for a place to stay, and is offered a gathla by the priest.
A red coloured stone with an image of a horse on it, a gathla is believed to house spirits. This 100-year-old ritual is popularly known as the 'gathla pratha.'
Mohan was first introduced to the fascinating culture of the Bhils through a research project by a friend.
"After going through her research work, I travelled extensively across areas in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Udaipur for this play," he says.
The Delhi-based choreographer agrees to the beliefs of the tribe and says that it was the spirits around that invited him to the remote places in the heart of the country, to tell them their story.
"I agree to the Bhils' belief that the soul continues to stay on even after death. I also believe that when such powers want to convey something about themselves, they invite you. I feel that they invited me to these forests. I never imagined that I would ever visit these places," he says.
Mohan was assisted in developing the folk story by Ruchi Kumar, a PhD scholar. A performance of the play was held here recently.
