The full moon day in the month of Chaitra is the most auspicious day as per the tribal calendar, to pray for the blessings of Goddess Danteshwari, the community Goddess of the Gond tribals of Gadchiroli district. Tribal culture being the integral part of Shodhgram, the temple of Goddess Danteshwari graces Shodhgram near the entry gate. SEARCH organizes every year a jatra or carnival to mark the full moon day in Chaitra.

It is a three-day event culminating in Pooja of the Goddess on the third day, the full moon day and community feast. Invitations for the Jatra are personally extended by SEARCH to each of the tribal village where SEARCH is active.

All the important village leaders and representatives of the GramaSabha and the Pujaris, the local faith healers and priests are invited for the Jatra. All the village level workers of SEARCH from the 37 villages also attend the Jatra.

It is a gathering of about 1000 persons in Shodhgram. The invitees, the tribals from the villages start arriving by afternoon of the first day and leave after the Mahaprasad or feast on the third day.

Final stage volleyball championship matches for the cup instituted in the memory of late Dr. K.V. Chari form an integral part of the Jatra. In the evening, the atmosphere is livened by presentations of tribal folk dances and songs in the open air under the moon lit night.

The second day is the day of health assembly. Dr Abhay Bang and Dr Rani Bang discuss the issues concerning tribal health and development with the invitees, review the programmes conducted in the previous year and encourage the participants to identify the problems, which they would like to address with the help of SEARCH.

At the end of the deliberations and discussions an election of sorts is conducted to decide the problems to be taken up during the forthcoming year. Ballot boxes with names or symbols of the problem are made and the assembly members cast their votes in the appropriate for representing the problem of their choice. A count is taken and finally the priorities emerge. The assembly then deliberates the possible action plan, the contribution the

villagers would make and the facilitation required from SEARCH. Resolutions are passed and a blueprint of action is the output of the exercise.