At the heart of the Masta tradition are the Dhamis the shamanic mediums through whom the gods speak and the elderly devotees who have spent lifetimes maintaining shrines, sponsoring ceremonies, and transmitting ritual knowledge to younger generations. A Dhami in the Masta tradition is chosen directly by the deity a calling that may come through dreams or visions and once chosen, the Dhami must follow strict rules of purity: maintaining a ritual diet, avoiding contamination, and keeping a long braided hair knot often tied with silver or gold threads offered by devotees. These sacred obligations come with no institutional salary, no pension, and no healthcare leaving many Dhamis and devoted elders in significant economic vulnerability as they age.

The Foundation’s devotee support program provides practical, dignified assistance to those who have given their lives to sustaining the tradition. This includes covering the cost of ritual supplies incense, offering materials, ceremonial garments that Dhamis require to conduct ceremonies but can no longer afford as they grow older. During major festivals such as Baisakhe Purnima, Saune Purnima, and Mangsire Purnima the three full moon festivals when Masta worship peaks and entire clans gather at their respective than we coordinate healthcare access and emergency medical support for elderly participants who travel long distances on foot to attend.

Beyond material support, the program works to restore social recognition for Dhamis and elder devotees whose status has eroded in recent decades. The decline of trance rituals has deeper roots: during the 19th and 20th centuries, modernization efforts and religious reform movements labeled shamanic practices as superstition, and schools discouraged indigenous rituals eroding the social status of indigenous shamans who once served as spiritual leaders in their villages. The Foundation actively works to counter this erosion documenting the life stories of Dhamis, celebrating their knowledge publicly, and ensuring that the communities they serve understand the irreplaceable value of what these individuals carry. Their well-being is not separate from the tradition’s survival; it is its precondition.