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The term originally Dimasa means the children or descendants of a big river like Brahmaputra. ‘Di’ means water, ‘ma’ means big and ‘sa’ means children.
It was a rainy night when I couldn’t sleep and went to my grandma’s room. After some time my grandma suggested she will share a story with me. The story was about A King once lived, whose principal amusement consisted in hunting elephants. One day information was brought in that a large herd was in the forest . Upon this, the king was determined to start at once and to remain in the forest until he had accounted for the greater number in hunting.
In saying farewell to his wife, who intended to present him another child shortly, he said “ We have plenty of children especially daughters, but if a male is born it would be better”.
Then taking an affectionate farewell to the wife of bosom, the king and his followers started off. In due course the queen was delivered of another girl, a child of surpassing beauty. Remembering her husband’s parting instructions, she was in a great state of mind, and did not know what to do.
At last one of the maids suggested that the infant should be handed over to her and the matter kept quiet. The king and his partners in the meanwhile had wandered around the country, hunting and after some years they reached back to their kingdom. On reaching the palace, the King’s first enquiry was about his wife and the child born in his absence. In great fear and trembling, the queen said a daughter had been born and was in accordance with the king’s instructions.
Greatly to the relief of the household, the king believed the tale.
A few days after this, while walking on the border of the palace, a fair damsel appeared at one of the doors of the palace and attracted King’s attention. Before he had time, however, to enquire who she was, the maid disappeared. The vision had so fired up his imagination that he at once assembled his courtiers and insisted on knowing who the girl was. For a long time no one was bold enough to speak out, but at last an old follower informed him that the girl was his own daughter. The king laughed at this saying –
“ Do you think because I have been in the jungle these years that my wits are blunted? You old sinner ; I think you have eyes on the damsel as a means of consoling yourself in your sinful old age. However, such beauties are not for commoners but are reserved for the Royal house. I intend to take her as my wife”.
Hearing these words, the old follower was sore and distressed and said “ Oh, king! Long have I lived in this world, but a father marrying his own daughter I have never heard of; the disagreement will be very great”.
The king, however, still refused to believe the words of his people, and fixed a day for the marriage ceremony. The girl Disru was now told about her birth and circumstances and between them they arranged a plan of escape from the palace with her birth mother .
The night fixed upon for the flight, an enemy of the Queen’s informed the king of the project;but luckily too late for him to do anything. For many days the king tracked the footprint and followed them until in the far distance he saw a large city, and heard the sounds of many voices. Fancying that he could now secure the runaways he rushed on, but suddenly found a guard of women of gigantic stature, who informed him that he reached the bounds of “woman’s land”, beyond which no men was allowed to stray. He expostulated, but all in vain and ultimately returned to his kingdom as a wiser man.
The tale of Disru the princess of Dimasa is still passed down generation to generation. It's a tradition which has almost vanished from sight in our daily life.