Arjun Jogi works to preserve the fading tradition of Pheri
Arjun Jogi of Yangpang, Bhojpur, is trying to keep the traditional Pheri ritual alive; he says 18 to 20 households there once practised it and only two people now do.
Arjun Jogi, who lives in Yangpang in Arun Rural Municipality-1, Bhojpur, is working to keep the traditional ritual of 'Pheri' going as interest in inherited occupations fades, Onlinekhabar and Gorkhapatra reported on Kartik 20 (November 6). The reports say changing lifestyles and social settings have drawn people away from traditional trades, while Jogi has stayed with the one his forebears followed.
Jogi said he has performed Pheri for the past two decades, going around the villages at night in the months of Kartik, Chaitra and Shravan. He said he is out on his rounds for roughly 20 to 25 days in a month.
According to the reports, there is a long-held religious belief that Pheri brings happiness, peace, prosperity and well-being to a household. The practitioner visits homes at night and performs the rite with mantras in the traditional way, and locals regard it as religious faith and cultural tradition. Villagers customarily give the practitioner rice, paddy, maize, millet, other grain and cash, each according to what they can afford, which helps support his livelihood. The reports say this exchange has kept up traditional religious and cultural ties in the villages.
Jogi said that 18 to 20 households in Yangpang once practised Pheri, but the number has fallen to two people. He said the custom is under threat as the new generation moves away from traditional occupations. The reports add that the tradition, once widespread, is now carried by only a few people.
Jogi said he is trying to keep the occupation going and to pass this local culture and tradition on to the next generation, and that young people need to be made aware of its importance.