People celebrate Rongali Bihu along the Assam-Meghalaya border

On the occasion of the Assamese ‘Rongali Bihu’ festival, people of the Lumpi area celebrated the Bihu festival for the first time in Lower Lumpi with a daylong cultural program and traditional games among the children of the area on April 25. 

People of the area named it ‘The Bihu of the border’, as the location is situated along the Assam- Meghalaya border under Kamrup district’s Boko revenue circle. 

It is also to be mentioned that the Lumpi area is trendy for tourists as a hill station which is very near to Guwahati city (about 100 kilometres) and also sometimes makes headlines for border disputes. 
On this occasion, several traditional games including the long jump, high jump, blindfold duck catching and many other traditional games are organized.

Also Read: Assam: Guwahati’s Pratiksha Rani Borgohain crowned ‘Bihu Samragi 2023’ at the Latasil Bihu Sanmilani

The day-long program was presided over by the president of the Bihu committee Man Bahadur Thapa and the secretary Suman Srish. 

Suman Srish, the secretary said, “The Lower Lumpi Border Out Post in-charge Jini Saikia and the Kamrup Police took initiatives to celebrate the bihu festival.”  

Kamrup District Superintendent Hitesh Chandra Ray, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kamrup (Rural) Pranab Dutta Goswami, and Boko Police Station Officer in Charge Phanindra Nath took part as chief guests in the bihu celebration. 

Hitesh Chandra Ray, SP Kamrup said by encouraging the youths of the Lumpi area, “Rongali Bihu is generally for boys and girls who celebrate it by wearing traditional Assamese attires and performing the traditional Bihu dance.”

SP Ray also encourages the people of the Lumpi area and also emphasizes celebrating the bihu festival every year so that future generations will continue the Assamese culture. 

Later in the evening, the cultural stage was opened by Sumit Rabha, Executive Member, Arjun Chetry, General Member of RHAC and many other dignitaries. 

Arjun Chetry said in his speech, “Lumpi people have started a great initiative which might have been started before. But this will be aware of the future generations of our culture of Assam. Despite us most of the people living in the Lumpi areas belong to the Gorkha Community, but have also we lived here since before the freedom, so we know well to celebrate our culture.”

“Without culture and education, a tribe and its generations cannot move forward. So we have to pay attention to celebrating cultures and education too. We get together to celebrate our festivals, as well as we can solve problems and develop our community. We also thank the district administration, police, media and public for the success of the cultural program.” Chetry added. 

Sumit Rabha, Executive member of the RHAC said, “For the first time Lumpi people are organizing the Rongali Bihu Festival and this is a good sign for the people living in the Interstate border's Assam Village Lumpi. Despite the Interstate border area, this is a milestone for the people living in the Lumpi area who are celebrating the Bihu Festival and I am also grateful that I stood as a witness for the first time celebrating Bihu, which is called 'The Bihu of the border'. I thank the Lumpi border outpost in charge and the police team, as well as the District administration and the Kamrup District Superintendent of police, who came and celebrated the Bihu with the Lumpi people. I hope the people of the Lumpi area will continue the Rongali Bihu Festival celebration in the coming days.”

During the media interaction, Arjun Chetry also said the Khasi and Garo people from Meghalaya state also took part in the Bihu celebration and it has become a field of harmony. 

The 4th Assam Police Battalion bihu team along with other artists are performing in the evening along with the local public.