Children of Earth

Rakhnyanche Gade is a unique Shigmo festival celebrated by young cowherd boys aged 4 to 12 in a forest clearing once used for grazing. These children, known as the "Gades," dance energetically around a Tulsi shrine, embodying joy, devotion, and ancestral spirit. At the peak of celebration, they rush into the forest to collect dav’ins—branches of the Jambhul tree or Hooski shrub—and return to dance to the rhythms of dhols and the villagers’ naman (invocation). The ritual concludes with the gentle act of bringing the Gades out of their trance — marking the end of this vibrant and sacred festival.

This photo project captures the youthful energy, deep-rooted cultural identity, and sacred connection between land, tradition, and spirit in this fading Goan ritual.

They come barefoot,
not as boys—
but as wind-borne echoes
of cowbells and gods.

Through dust-veiled paths,
they circle the Tulsi like moons
around a sleeping planet.

Each shout is a hymn,
each branch a banner,
each smear of sweat
a mark of something ancient—
older than words,
older than worship.

The forest remembers.
The soil sings in pulses.
Their dance is not for spectacle—
but survival,
memory,
magic.

And as they vanish into the trees,
wild-eyed and burning,
you realize:
this is not play.
This is inheritance.