Wingless Birds/11: Pahur Poem by Asit Kumar Sanyal

It's a game of fun
Played in my village, Lagola
something like the bullfight
But there is no bull
a pig
Cows and buffalos hit the pig.

‘Pahur' played in Diwali afternoon
in an open field
before the game started
cattle's horns coloured red
with oil and sindur (vermillion) .

When game starts
Dholes played in a special rhythm
and a pig is left
inside the cattle gathered
They hit the pig
the pig tries to run out of the field
but owners hit by the lathi
stood at the sides of the field
and send the pig inside.

In bullfight ….
bull hit the men
But in Pahur, cattle hit the pig
It's hardly one hour game
Generally, cows kill the pig
And the best player wins a prize.

Pahur organized by Ghosh families
Not Kaisth Ghose …
Yadav Ghosh, origin of UP
People say,
Yadav Ghosh came in Bengal
during Nawabi era
And settled down there
As milkman.