My name is Sean Draisey and my great-grandfather (who died in 1965) served with the 23rd Cheadles Infantry in the first world war.
During the war, he travelled with a small unit on a diplomatic mission through the Central India Tribal Belt, which stretches from Gujarat in the west up to Assam in the east across the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. He spent three months in that region with six other soldiers under the supervision of Sergeant 'Tiger' Adams, (who was later decorated with the George cross for bravery in 1919).
In September 2020, while going through his personal files in the family home in Kent, I found an old manilla unmarked envelope, and a handwritten essay obviously written by my great-grandfather during the war, which I'm reproducing in full below.
I make no claims to its factual authenticity regarding the events therein, but I can confirm that the people mentioned, and the times and places are all real and true.
Make of it what you will.
...........
Statement without prejudice
from Corporal G. Draisey
Madhya, India, Friday 16th June, 1917
I can scarcely believe what we saw last night, and have been unable to get it out my head all this day. I have no choice but to commit every event of that unholy, perverted ceremony to paper, though I'm sure anyone reading this will consider it a work of fiction. It matters not. I don't know who the girl was, but the events should be documented in case of future legal recourse.
I'm with the 23rd Cheadles in Madhya India on a diplomatic mission. We'd been camped in a clearing for three nights when Tiger Adams came to Harris and myself after lunch Tuesday afternoon. He asked if we wanted to visit one of the local tribes the next evening, as there was to be a special event in the large timber and mud hall which we'd seen two weeks before, and marvelled at the ingenious construction. The tribe who built the hall (which I won't name), were very friendly but not civilised in most ways we'd recognise back in Blighty. They wore animal skins and were primarily hunters and agriculturists. Harrison could communicate with them in a very small way, having studied languages at Oxford, but many of their customs we found alien, and I'm sure they thought the same with us.
On the morning of the event, we came across a tribe member carrying water about half a mile from our camp, and Harrison tried to question him about the evening's event. All we could get from the poor chap (he was quite old and struggling with his water barrel), were the three words 'young', girls' and 'white'. He did seem quite excited and chattered away, smiling and showing more gum than teeth.
Later, back at camp, Tiger took us to one side and said "look here chaps, we're relying on some of these native fellows to scout us through Pradesh, so make sure we make a good showing tonight. Don't upset them in any way, just enjoy their hospitality and make sure you look like you're enjoying it. I've heard some of these ceremonies can be pretty rum deals. Whatever happens, go along with it, English lives depend on us getting through Pradesh safely".
Just before nightfall, a tribesman came to our camp with another chap, who was the first white man I'd seen outside of our own company in three months. He wore a dirty linen suit and seemed a friendly enough sort. He introduced himself as Tucker Goodyear, and explained he was an interpreter from Kadesh, and wanted us to know that the ceremony that evening had taken on a new importance. He went on to explain that a white girl from Kadesh was going to 'perform', and whenever a none tribal woman took part in the 'sacred Khandit', it meant the ceremony had a much greater significance and power. According to Tucker, only three times in the history of the tribe had a white woman performed the sacred Khandit. (Whatever that was!)
I must say, Harrison and I were very intrigued at this point, and wondered what we were going to see at this 'Khandit'.
We arrived at the hall around three hours after nightfall, and the three of us, along with Tucker were directed to a long wooden bench near the back of the hall. Tucker had spent some time chatting to one of the tribesmen, and once we were seated he was able to shed some light on the ceremony.
"Two of the young women in the tribe haven't bore any children yet, and this ceremony, they believe, will make them fruitful. I haven't seen one of these ceremonies before, but I've heard they . . . shhhh! It's starting!"
There were at least a hundred tribes-people crammed in the hall, which was lit by flaming torches around the perimeter. There was a wooden stage area at the opposite side to the door, which was now closed and bolted. The stage was bare apart from two wooden poles in the center, about six feet apart. Tribal musicians were playing drums and long bamboo whistle type instruments in the corner, which made a quite distinct, almost Egyptian rapid rhythmic drone. We were given clay pots filled with something very alcoholic, and to the right of the raised stage were sat the obvious 'VIP' section of the tribe. The music was reaching a crescendo and it was obvious the ceremony was about to start.
Two very large tribal gentleman took to the stage and started chanting. Tucker whispered that they were summoning up spirits, and the ceremony wouldn't take place till they were in the presence of the gods. Another chap, which I took to be some kind holy man, started singing and the crowd started clapping, then were once again in silence.
The music changed to a less frantic, slow drumbeat and the two tribal gentlemen disappeared through a small door behind the stage. They were gone a minute or two, the re-appeared holding the arms of one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen.
I must say, I was shocked. She was quite petite, (but then even an average height girl would have looked small in comparison to those two adonis-like tribesmen), and she seemed to need help to walk. The tribesmen had an arm each and walked her towards the two wooden poles.
Her face was delicate and fine-featured and she had sandy, almost blonde hair, which was parted in the middle and reached a few inches past her shoulders. She wore a midnight blue two-piece with buttons and a simple white sash across her slim waste, and was barefoot. She appeared half asleep, and Harrison, on my left, whispered "she's beautiful, and drunk!"