Assam is a land of an intermingling of culture, tradition, tribes, language, and cuisines. The Tourism Department of Assam has taken lots of initiative to bring forth that culture and tradition which is so unique and different, which is diverse yet united in spirit. To celebrate the real essence and spirit of Assam under one roof, the Cultural and Sports Department of Assam, along with the Tourism Department, organised the Rongali Festival in the month of January 2018 for three days from January 19th to January 21st.

Rongali Festival 2018, Guwahati- A Photo Essay! 

The word “Rongali” itself tells us the main theme of the festival. The word Rongali comes from “Rongali Bihu”, which is celebrated in April to mark the beginning of the new year with loads of fun and amidst great festivities. 

The Rongali Festival was a unique presentation of different cultures of Assam, where different ethnic groups of Assam performed their dance, drama, acting, and sports. There was a display of traditional hand-loom of Assam, hand-loom saris, Mekhela Chador, Dhokhna and many other hand-loom varieties having their roots in different tribes. There was an exhibition displaying handicrafts, agricultural and food products, etc. There were various sports like trekking, boat racing and other adventure sports conducted.   

The venue for the Rongali festival in 2018 was Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati, Assam, India, located in Panjabari. Along with various traditional performances, Rongali also had musical concerts by famous artists from Assam and other parts of India.

The main highlight was to bring out the way of life, dance forms, the culture of the tribes of Assam- the Boro, Mising, Rabha, Karbi, Dimasa, etc. A large food festival was organised, and the main centre of attraction was “PAKGHOR”- a typical kitchen of Assam. It showcased the different kinds of dishes specific to each tribe. I shall do a detailed post on that. 

When I entered Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra on the second day of the event, 20th January, I was amazed at the beautiful paintings displayed everywhere, done by artist Santanu Hazarika. A watercolour painting workshop was also going on, and I saw participants sitting with their colours and palette at various places under the tree, on the lawn, and some occupied the amphitheatre and created wonders with their painting brush. 

A stall showcased the famous masks of Majuli. Majuli, the smallest river island in the world, also has some excellent artists and craftsmen. The masks displayed are examples of their excellent craftsmanship.

Mask making is a common traditional craft in Majuli, which is practised mainly by the Bhakats for centuries. The Natun Chamaguri Sattra has worldwide fame in making exquisite masks. The masks are mainly made of clay, bamboo, cane, cloth, papier mache, etc. The masks are made of famous characters from Ramayana and stories of Sri Krishna – Brahma, Hansa, Ganesha, Garuda, Jatayu, ten-headed Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Taraka, Maricha, Subahu, Putana, Chakravat, Kaliya Naag, Bakasura, Aghasura, Dhenukasura, Batsasura, Hanuman, Jambuban, Baraha, Nar Simha, etc. Although they don’t make masks for Rama, Krishna, and Lakshmana.

The art and craft, handloom and agriculture exhibition had a wide variety of items displayed like various organic manures, medicines, saplings, etc, furniture made of cane and bamboo and many stalls that had multi-colored hand-loom Mekhela Chador, the traditional dress of Assamese women.

The Food festival was spread across a wide area with multiple hotels and famous restaurants having opened their stalls. The main attraction was the “PAKGHOR”, as I have mentioned, which is coming up soon in a separate post. A food competition was also going on. I was almost hungry and wanted to devour the food displayed. It was indeed a great initiative on the part of the organisers to uphold the culture of Assam and give the people of Assam such a wonderful platform. Many visitors and tourists from different parts of India visited to witness the Rongali festival, 2018. 

Thanks!!