Once in five years, our family conducts therey (an art form of appeasing gods, goddesses and ancestors). This time it happened while I was at my ancestral place a couple of weeks back. The proceedings begin in the night and go on till the next day evening with over 10 different enactments (performances) to appease the gods and ancestors. Therey is an occasion for the family members to witness the performances and also seek divine interventions for their problems. Accompanied by the drumbeats (called chende in local parlance), the colourfully dressed performers with painted faces dance rhythmically and instill a sense of divinity among the gathered crowd.