Society / Assam

BISHNU RABHA KSHETRA (Tamulpur), February 4: The insurgency ridden Tamulpur area wore a festive look today as thousands of people thronged the Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Kshetra, the venue of the 27th Bebak Rabha Kraurang Runchum (All Rabha Sahitya Sabha) despite an Assam bandh call given by ULFA and NDFB jointly. The open session of the sabha held this afternoon was presided over by Jagat Kama, the president of All Rabha Sahitya Sabha. Earlier, the president was brought to the stage with a cultural procession from the Tamulpur inspection bungalow located three kilometres away from the venue which...

GUWAHATI, January 31: Jonaki era is the renaissance age of modern Assamese literature and culture, said litterateur and president-elect of Asam Sahitya Sabha Homen Borgohain today. Releasing the compilation of Jonaki issues in the book form at Lakshmiram Baruah auditorium here this afternoon, Borgohain said that Jonaki was the expression of the nation's culture which laid the foundation for development of the modern Assamese language. The president-elect of the Sabha, however, regretted that such an important compilation could be published only after more than a century had elapsed for failure...

GOLAGHAT, January 28: The people of Alichinga-Kochupukhuri village of Golaghat district recently stumbled across a brick house belonging to the Ahom period while they were clearing an area near Dhansiri river for cultivation. Big amounts of ancient ruins and other artifacts like statues of Sun god were recovered from the spot. When some mediapersons recently visited the places where the ruins and artifacts were found, the villages headmen of the concerned villages complained that as a group of encroachers were clearing the area for dwelling purposes, some valuable ancient ruins got damaged in...

GUWAHATI, January 22: The conversion of about 140 families into Christianity in the Mising dominated Jengraimukh areas of the world's largest fresh water island Majuli, which is also known as the nerve-centre of Assamese Vaishnavite religion and culture, has made the Satras, - the seats of Vaishnavite religion, to sit up and chalk out their own strategies to check the inroad of Christianity. The island has at present 22 Satras located on it. Agitated villagers of Barpamuwagaon, Kumarbari, Jengraigaon and Namani Cherpaigaon of Jenraimukh have also forbidden the entry of Christian missionaries...

DIBRUGARH, January 18: It is ungratifying to note that at the Dibrugarh University (DU), teachers, employees and officers take turns to resort to an agitation, in support of their various demands. This spate of agitation has adversely affected academics, resulting in poor academic performance and an overall inorderliness at the sprawling campus. Since the seventh of the current month, the employees of the institution were on a strike, which was called off on January 12, demanding payment of their dearness allowance arrears. The employees, who were on a picketing agitation, effectively...

KAMALABARI, January 18: The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal, has already made documentation of the cultural heritage of the world's largest fresh water island Majuli's people and these documents will reach the other parts of the world through the internet network, said IGRMS director Sujit Som while conducting a workshop on satra material culture at the Garamur Bangshigopal Natya Mandir this evening. While emphasising that the IGRMS has a special approach towards the heritage of NE people, he said that many human being with his or her sense of possession, has been...

GUWAHATI, January 17: Rich tributes were paid to cultural patriarch Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwalla on the occasion of Silip Divas, his 53rd death anniversary, today. The central function was observed at Tezpur under the aegis of directorate of cultural affairs in collaboration with the Northeast Cultural Centre, Calcutta. Speaking at a meeting held at the District Library auditorium there, state industries minister Gunin Hazarika and agriculture minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recalled Rupkonwar's contribution towards the formation of the greater Assamese society and ethos. As a part of the...

GUWAHATI, January 16: Two Assamese women - Rita Banerjee and Shibani Choudhury - are doing commendable jobs as an editor and a scriptwriter-cum-assistant director respectively, in one of the world's most acclaimed natural history filmmakers company - the Riverbank Studios, headed by the famous filmmaker Mike Pandey. The team has so far produced over 20 films since 1991 on wildlife, environment, social and developmental issues and also on children education. Two of its films - The Last Migration - Wild Elephant Capture in Sarguja and the Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India, have won the...

GUWAHATI, August 5: Beginning August 15 there will be a statewide ban on sale of mekhela-chadar produced in powerlooms as the state Government has decided to enforce the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Protection) Act, 1985 for protection and development of handloom sector in the state. Alongwith mekhela-chadar, the ban will be also applicable on sale of powerloom produced dakhana (worn by Bodo women), danka (worn by Mising women), khamlet and phanak (Manipuri dreses) as these items are reserved for exclusive production in handloom under the Act. In pursuance of the above Act, it is...

JORHAT, July 26: Majuli, the world's largest river island, may soon become a major tourist attraction if things go according to plan. An ambitious project report of Rs 43 lakh has been prepared to set up a tourist village at Kamalabari, the commercial hub of the island. "The ambience will be that of a traditional Mising village, but facilities will be no less than in any good hotel," additional deputy commissioner, RK Majumdar told The Telegraph. The Mising tribe dominates the island's population. The ministry of tourism has been contacted and work on the project is likely to start soon. For...