A large part of the folklore in India is based around heart touching love stories many of which seem to have an eternal appeal. This, though generally true of almost all the parts of the country has some really poignant examples in Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and some other parts of the country with simple ways of living and a passion for living. The eternal love ballad of ‘Chhatisgarh’ revolves around ‘Jhitku’ and ‘Mitku’ a simple boy and girl who happened to be love struck in times past.
Jhitku Mitku Tales
Its is said that Mitku was the star of the eyes of a family of seven brohers and had so much of the love and affection that she felt free as a bird with sky her play yard and the world as the playmates. As time flies, she was ready to be married and the brothers invited a local youth ‘Jhitku’ as per the tribal tradition ‘Lampena’ of the areas as per which the groom has to stay for a year with the bride’s family and do all the chores related to bread winning so as to prove himself worthy of the bride to be. The ‘Jhitku’ came for a worthiness trial and as the luck would have it, fell in love with ‘Mitku’. The brothers though remained blissfully unaware of the matters of the heart.
As it happens in the country with alarming frequency, the rains failed that year and the area was stricken with draught. The brothers went seeking counsel from village seer and he recommended a sacrifice to seek blessings of the God. The brothers did not really have anything else to sacrifice so late one night they whisked off ‘Jhitku’ and sacrificed him to the local deity. Having discovered the truth, Mitku, grief stricken, took her own life. Though the timings are lost in the hoary past, the memory of Jhitku Mitku lives in tales and ballads and off course in the tribal metal casting art, in which it remains one of the most important image and can be found in any tribal art museum or an export catalogue.
From Left: Jhitku Mitku, A lady Making food for the child, and A Tribal Musical Instrument
Different Forms of Tribal Arts
Tribal art of Chhattisgarh has a very important element of metal casting in clay modeling using lost wax process and though ‘Jhitku- Mitku’ remain ever favourite, there are numerous other beautiful objects that are made by the process and can be found in numerous haats of Jagdalpur, Narainpur, Kondagram and Shipagram of Chhatisgarh.
The Other Home provides you an opportunity to visit Chhattisgarh to see “Jhitku – Mitku”.
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