Hedavi Chronicle
Characterized by coconut trees and vast beaches, the Konkan belt stretches across the coast of Maharashtra. In the district of Guhagar-Ratnagiri lies a very small village by the name of Hedavi. I consider myself lucky to be maternally linked to the Hedavkars of Hedavi. I have heard great things about my great grandfather, who, unfortunately, I have never had an opportunity to meet. My great grandfather, Dharmaji Hedavkar, had four brothers. He was the second oldest. The oldest brother, Shambhu Bhau Hedavkar, a visionary businessman, shifted to Mumbai during the industrial revolution. He started hand press and power press factories and thought it was best to keep business in the family. So, the other brothers joined and supported him in this endeavor. The business flourished, and all their hard work bore fruit, which with the right investments, could last generations.
After all, it did. The investment was in property, and the third generation is still enjoying the benefits of these investments. Family and brotherhood are of high importance in the lineage of the Hedavkar Bandhu’s. Religion, customs, and traditions that originated in Hedavi are still preserved. To keep the family together in a new city, the Hedavkar Bandhu’s built a four-storeyed building in Dadar West, Mumbai, called Hedavkar Wadi. My grandmother and her family still stay there, like all the other Hedavkars. The neighbors are not just our neighbors, but relatives. Hedavkar Wadi, built by the five brothers now houses their successors, who still live together. The secret behind the unity of this family is the responsibility that lies upon every Hedavkar, “The Palat” to The Hedavkar Bandhu Nivas i.e their turn to take care of their house in Hedavi. The doors of that house have not been locked since 1887.
Some or the other Hedavkar has to be present in that house, as they have certain duties and obligations to the villagers — their extended brotherhood. Patriarchy dictates that at least one male member of the family should be present in order to light the diya of the temple in the house twice every day. The Palats are allotted on a monthly basis. On the 10th of every month, the house is handed from one brother to the other. This way, every brother gets to experience every season and occasion in their Palat, every five years.
Hedavkar Bandhu Nivas is an architectural treat to one’s eyes. A two-storied blue bungalow, a garden with a variety of flowers, a front yard consisting of a large swing, a back yard consisting of a storage room for ration, beyond which is the cowshed and as many as 20 rooms with balconies.
The placement of the swing is perfect with respect to the sunlight and wind direction, making it a very comforting spot. The ground floor consists of a temple, hall, office, and 5 kitchens.
Two staircases, one spiral, and the other steep, leads up to the 1st floor which consists of bedrooms, storage rooms, and a roofed terrace. I’ve fallen down the spiral staircase as a kid, and hence my understanding of ‘Going down the Spiral’ is quite literal. Another dark and spooky staircase leads to the 2nd-floor attic where apparatus for the Ganpati festival and some of the furniture is stored. Like most attics, this is low lit, and the squeaking wooden floor made it an adventure for the 6-year-old me venturing in this area only to discover a small terrace attached to the attic. The entrance of this terrace is a small circular window, one has to duck to enter. Upon discovering it, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Experiencing the first rain of the season on this roof is a pleasure that hardly can be compared to anything. One of the major perks of having such a huge house is playing Hide-n-Seek with the cousins, sometimes it would take the whole day searching for everyone. I was experiencing what Enid Blyton writes in her novels. Apart from this, Hedavkar’s own major portion of land in Hedavi. I go to Hedavi every chance I get to escape the maddening life of the city.
Since Hedavi lies in the tropical region of Maharashtra, it has been blessed with the abundance of fruits like mangoes, jack-fruits, karvanda, and coconuts among many others. For seafood lovers, Hedavi is a paradise. Fishes viz. bangda, surmai, kalva, bombil, kolim, mandeli, crabs, shrimps along with rice is a staple diet for the locals. Because their staple food mainly consists of seafood, farming here is limited to rice and nachni aka ragi. Hedavi is serene. It is situated in a valley on the bank of a slow-flowing river. One can witness the beauty of the river meeting the ocean. The beach is about 10 mins walk from Hedavkar Bandhu Nivas. Some of the major tourist attractions of this place are the Shri Dashabhuja Ganpati Temple, Bamanghal, and the Hedavi beach.
Though people in Hedavi follow almost all Hindu rituals religiously, Holi, Hanuman Jayanti, and Ganesh Chaturti are the most important festivals celebrated in Hedavi. Almost all Hedavkars residing in Mumbai, come to Hedavi to celebrate these festivals. Holi in Hedavi is celebrated in a slightly different way than in the rest of India. The idols of the kul devata are put in a Palki and are danced about in the Sahan. The Palki is heavy and requires 2–4 men to hold it. Men take turns in dancing the Palki. The Palki is danced to the
rhythm of folk songs. Hanuman Jayanti is filled with religious ceremonies, social gatherings and games, and contests for the children and women. Whereas Ganpati comes with joy and prosperity. Every house in Hedavi has a Ganpati idol of its own. Hedavkar Bandhu Nivas has Gauri Ganpati. Gauri, the mother of Lord Ganesha is welcomed in the house, by the women of the Hedavkar family, on the day of Gauri Poojan. It is a 7-day long festival and every day is filled with joy! Custom dictates that during Ganpati, the Diya that is lit in front of Lord Ganesha should not burn out even at night. So naturally, a group of people (almost everyone) stays awake in the night playing cards and other games and looking after the Diya. Mehfil shines through the night, and the day is met with shimmering Nauvari Sarees worn by the women of this house. Mouth-watering delicacies are prepared. Modaks, which are the sweet pieces from heaven, are made in honor of Lord Ganesha. I don’t have a sweet-tooth but I don’t leave any chance to have these Modaks. The evening aarti followed by Folklore and Bala dance remains the highlight of the festival for me. Gang of enthusiastic youngsters, including me, who love singing and dancing, go from house to house performing the folklore and Bala Dance. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join, the more the merrier.
Though this festival celebrates the presence of Lord Ganesha, Ganpati’s actual birthday is celebrated on Maghi Ganesh in the Shri Dashabhuja Ganpati Temple. Parshuram Joglekar, the founder of the temple, had a dream where he finds an ancient Ganpati idol. The next day, Parshuram found the idol in the same location as he had dreamt, and built a temple to honor it. The idol in this temple is said to be ‘Gajruk’ meaning alive or present. Fishermen, from all
of the Konkan Belt, have faith in this idol and come to visit in numbers on the day of Maghi Ganesh.
Having said all this, Lord Ganesha is not the kul-devata of the Hedavkars. According to Hindu mythology, every family has a kul-devata, and Navlai Devi is the kul-devata of Hedavkars. Now, Hedavkars are Guravs, meaning, the ones who perform the religious duty of serving their kul devata and acting as a bridge between believers and the Goddess Navlai. Navlai Devi’s temple is at the peak of a mountain. A tiger, which is considered to be the ride of Goddess Navlai, is said to visit this temple on every Navratri. (Yes, it’s possible.
Beyond this village lies a dense jungle with wild animals. Hunting is banned, and forest officers are always on patrol.) The fascinating part about this temple is that you can not only communicate with the goddess but the goddess can communicate with you. Whichever Gurav is in-charge of taking care of the temple, will carry out this process of communication for you, by the medium of a stone. This is how the communication process works:
You tell the Gurav your concerns and questions that you want to raise in front of the goddess. The Gurav then addresses the Goddess in front of you and puts forward your concerns in the form of yes and no question aka Gaaran. After this, the Gurav will try to lift the stone. It is believed that if the answer to said question of the worshiper is yes then, the stone will be so light it can be lifted easily by anyone, and if the answer is no the stone will be too heavy to
lift by anyone with ease. The Gurav will frame multiple questions to be asked on behalf of the worshiper so as to guide them if they are feeling lost.
Now whether one believes is this, is subjective; faith is subjective. But, every visit to Hedavi I have discovered something about myself, understood myself better. The connection I feel with this place is special because it helps me reconnect with my soul and my roots. In this chaotic world, if you ever feel lost, maybe Hedavi can help you find your path.
