‘Dhas:’ Celebrating age-old tradition of collective cooperation, selfless service

Barwani: When roof of Bul Singh Arya's house got damaged, residents of Kamod village in Barwani came together to help their fellow villager. Pits were dug, wooden pillars were erected, bamboo framework was prepared and earthen tiles were laid on it to reconstruct the roof----all done in a day, which normally would have taken Bul Singh 10 days to complete.The villagers extend the helping hand under their age-old tradition of ‘Dhas', which symbolises collective cooperation and selfless service. The tradition continues to thrive among the Barela, Bhil and Bhilala tribal communities of western Madhya Pradesh even today.
As per the tradition, Bul Singh also expressed his gratitude by hosting a community meal in the evening, said his brother-in-law and former Mandi member Paras Ram Senani.The tradition maintains that whenever a needy, or poor person requires assistance, be it repairing or constructing a house, ploughing fields, harvesting crops, or agricultural work, the entire village unites to complete the task through shramdaan (voluntary labour). The person seeking help simply informs villagers a day in advance, and people respond without discrimination.In many cases, the number of participants range from 20 to100, enabling work that normally takes a week or more to be completed in a day. The host's only responsibility is to provide food, which is often prepared collectively by the villagers themselves.A farmer of Dhanora village, Khetiram Mehta, said that a tiled roof (50 x 50 sq ft) of his mud house had deteriorated, and being alone, he was unable to repair it. Following the community tradition, he organised a ‘Dhas' and informed relatives, neighbours, and villagers. Within a day, everyone worked together to repair the roof, relieving him of the fear of rainwater entering his house."Dhas is a tradition passed down by ancestors, who practised mutual assistance during house construction and crop harvesting. We continue the same tradition today, helping poor farmers through collective effort," a villager Sukhlal said.Adiwasi Mukti Sangthan state general secretary Gajanand Brahmane told TOI that tasks that may take an individual 15 to 20 days are completed in just a day or two when the entire village participates. "Recently, in Sendhwa region, villagers rebuilt a house that was destroyed in a fire within a short time through Dhas. It is a very old tradition," he said.Barwani-based historian and former vice-chancellor of Awadhesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa, Shivnarayan Yadav, told TOI that this tradition is especially beneficial during the sowing season, as simultaneous sowing results in uniform crop quality."The same tradition is also followed during harvesting and even in house construction activities. The spirit of collective cooperation is an ancient tradition among tribal communities and reflects mutual goodwill, harmony, and support for one another," Yadav said.