Orissa’s women shed tears to revive age-old tradition

Konark (Orissa): Women in Orissa wept their hearts out as they competed in a ‘crying contest’ to keep an age-old custom alive. From a dull moaning to serious, no-holds-barred howling the women shed their tears as they competed to bag the title of 'Crying Queen' at a recent contest organised by "Artashree", a cultural organisation. Around twenty-five women wailed, howled and sang melancholy poetry in Konark, in a bid to revive an ancient custom of crying during their weddings. This emotion here has customarily been denoted via a morose, poetic rendition. "In earlier days, our mothers and grandmothers taught us how to cry when we were to leave for our in-laws’ homes after marriage. That tradition does not exist now. So, to remember this tradition, we are participating in this crying competition,' said Arnapurna Nayak, a competitor. However, residents say the ancient custom is dying out as brides nowadays don't even want to cry, leave alone sing poetry. "I've known the art of crying since my childhood days. I got married at an early age. My mother and aunt taught me this art,” said Taramani Pradhan, another competitor. As the mainly women audience cheered the crying ladies, there were mixed emotions. While some could not hold back their laughter at some amateurish attempts at sorrowful poetry, still others shed a tear when the performance touched a raw nerve. Ajay Swain, a judge said the competition went beyond crying and is an important means of keeping the past alive. "It is to remember the past, remember the history and remember the culture. It is not just crying, it is also literary work. So, the literary value of a cry, we mark on that basis," he said. The poetry is supposed to be spontaneous and original ideas of heartache are accorded better marks. Bureau Report