GUWAHATI, April 16 — Rongalee Bihu, the biggest festival of the State, is being celebrated all over with much fanfare and traditional gaiety with the sounds of dhol, pepa and gogona reverberating through the air. Rongalee Bihu, also called Bohag Bihu, heralds the Assamese New Year along with the season of spring. For the people of Assam, it is not just a festival but something that is embedded deep into the people’s psyche. It is the harbinger of hope, merriment, creation and bliss. The Bihu celebrations that began on Monday will continue till tomorrow, and in some places even beyond. The unprecedented economic crisis gripping the State coupled with the deteriorating law-and-order situation have failed to dampen the spirit of the Bihu-revellers across the State who have left no stone unturned to bring in the new year in the most befitting manner.
In the city, the 70-odd Bihutolis beautifully decked up to match the occasion, witnessed eager crowds that gathered to enjoy the different programmes. Most of the city’s Bihu functions are four-day events that will conclude tomorrow. Apart from the regular Bihu dance and hussori items, the Bihutolis had lots of attractive programmes with the cultural evenings drawing the maximum audience. During day time, various programmes for children and school students have been a common feature of the Bihutolis.
The Madhya-Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani, Silpukhuri, which is observing its silver jubilee year, had a special programme by Dr Bhupen Hazarika last evening. Dr Hazarika who is eagerly awaited by the people till the Bihu where he performs at various Bihutolis, is scheduled to give another performance at the Pub-Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan, Chandmari, this evening. The Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani, the oldest Bihutoli, began its celebrations on Monday when veteran freedom fighter and 97-year-old practising advocate Prabin Sharma hoisted the Bihu flag at 10 am. Eminent artistes like JP Das, Sangeeta Kakoti, Anima Choudhury, Dwipen Baruah, etc are featuring in the cultural functions on all the four days there. Besides the regular Bihu Rani, Bihu Konwari and Bihu Samrajnee contests are another much-sought-after event at Latasil.
The Dakshin-Pub Guwahati Rongalee Bihu Sanmilan, Rajgarh, has already held a wide range of events including cultural and children’s programmes. Tomorrow’s events include a Moina Chora, prize distribution ceremony and a cultural nite. Jitul Sonowal, Bijoylakshmi Das, Trishna Devi, Anupam Saikia, Pankaj Dutta, Shanta Uzir, Krishnamoni Nath, Tarali Sharma are among the popular artistes performing at different Bihutolis in the city.
One of the major attractions for tomorrow is the cultural evening featuring Khagen Mahanta and Archana Mahanta at Silpukhuri Bihutoli. The All Guwahati Students’ Union (AGSU) also celebrated Rongalee Bihu with a day-long programme on Monday where renowned litterateur Arup Kumar Dutta hoisted the Bihu flag. Veteran singing couple Dilip Sharma and Sudakshina Sharma along with their granddaughter Trin Sharma enthralled the crowd with their soulful rendering of several songs. Several distinguished personalities Nalinidhar Bhattacahrya, Dilip Sharma, Sudakshina Sharma, Prabhat Sharma, Madhuram Bodo, Dr Shanti Thapa and veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar and his wife Bharati Nayar were also felicitated on the occasion. A tribute-paying programme in the memory of the late Pratima Baruah Pandey, the queen of Goalparia lokageet was another highlight of the day. On behalf of the AGSU Dr Bhupen Hazarika handed over Rs 7,500 as ex-gratia to Chidananda Roy and Bimal Mali, the two music assistants of the late Pratima Baruah Pandey for nearly 25 years. Besides, Dr Hazarika also presented the appointment letter from the Coca Cola company to Abhijit Sarkar, the elder son-in-law of the late maestro who was also her musical hand for long years and who became unemployed following her death last year. Her granddaughter Priyam Sarkar held the audience spell-bound when she sang several Goalparia lokageets bringing back memories of Pratima Baruah Pandey.