United by harvest: 140 members of a family celebrate Nuakhai in Kalahandi’s Balsi

Bhawanipatna, August 28: Every year, as the golden paddy fields of Western Odisha sway in rhythm with the monsoon breeze, a familiar excitement fills the air. It’s the time for Nuakhai-the much-loved agricultural festival that brings together not just families, but entire communities. 

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This year, on Thursday, the Panchami Tithi of the Bhadraba month, the villages of Kesinga Block in Kalahandi district came alive with joy, rituals, and shared meals. In this pocket of rural Odisha, Nuakhai isn’t just a festival-it’s a reaffirmation of identity, ancestry, and unity.

One such story unfolded in Balsi village’s Uparpada, where Nuakhai turned into more than just a harvest festival. It became a powerful expression of family solidarity, bringing together over 140 members of the Sahu family, descendants of the late Rajkumar Sahu, under a single roof.

Before any food was served or shared, rituals began with reverence. A photograph of Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of the region, was adorned and worshipped. A local priest led the prayers, and the first portion of the meal-prepared from freshly harvested rice-was solemnly offered to the deities, ancestors, and household gods. The humble yet symbolic dish of ‘Chuda’ (flattened rice), made from the new grain and served on Kurei leaves, was then distributed as sacred offerings.

It was a moment steeped in emotion and meaning.

As the families sat down for the Nuakhai meal, there were no barriers of age or ego-just kinship. Elders, youngsters, cousins, and in-laws shared food, laughter, and stories. After the meal, the younger members bowed their heads to the elders, in the traditional ‘Nuakhai Juhar’, a gesture that speaks volumes of the respect and values carried across generations.

But this isn’t just a tale of food and rituals. It is also a reflection of deep-rooted bonds and the legacy of family elders. The late Bamadeb Sahu and Bandhaba Sahu, sons of Rajkumar Sahu, had together nurtured a family that now spans four generations. Bamadeb had four sons, and Bandhaba had one. Today, their children and grandchildren-led by elders like Trahikera Sahu, Khirasindu Sahu, and Manohar Sahu-carry forward this legacy with pride and purpose.

"This gathering is more than a tradition. It’s our way of ensuring unity among brothers and within our larger family," shared Fakir Sahu, a respected elder and former committee member. His words echoed the sentiment of the day: that Nuakhai is not just a ritual, but a living, breathing thread that holds the fabric of community and family together.

Across Kesinga, similar scenes played out in various villages. Offerings were made at local Dharani Pithas—sacred earth shrines—and the first grain of the harvest was dedicated to divine and ancestral forces. But in Balsi, what stood out was the powerful imagery of 140 family members, gathered as one, sharing not just a meal but a legacy of togetherness.

In a world often fragmented by distance and time, Nuakhai in Balsi stands as a quiet reminder: sometimes, it only takes a shared meal and a reverent prayer to stitch hearts back together.

And in that humble celebration, an entire village finds strength, identity, and hope.