Letters to the EDITOR: Bhaxa Gaurav Saptah

Bhaxa Gaurav Saptah

The news headline 'PM urges people to participate in Bhaxa Gaurav Saptah' published in your esteemed daily on November 4 is indeed a matter of pride and a memorable occasion for every Assamese. The week-long celebration to celebrate the Centre's recent recognition of the long-standing need of Assamese as one of India's classical languages is a great honour of the rich linguistic diversity of the language. The recognition has now made it possible to take the language forward for getting it globally recognized through digital format. The celebration must inspire every Assamese to love and respect the language from the bottom of their hearts, and it also must motivate the young generation towards working for the preservation and further enrichment of the language through different channels. The celebration of Bhaxa Gaurav Saptah will also promote people from various linguistic groups living in the state for decades to celebrate their own languages and commit themselves to preserving them, which will definitely help in building a greater Assamese society based on the ideals of peace, love, and harmony. The annual celebration will enable both students and scholars to share the Assamese rich cultural heritage and vernacular tapestry while extending its influence and cultural wealth with the rest of the country. We have both an obligation and a duty towards taking our own language forward through government and non-government organisations.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati.

Dress code of Bhaona

Bhaona is a unique festival of Assam. Although it's part of the pan-Indian Bhakti movement, Bhaona has its own speciality and identity. Mahapurush Sankardeva took samples of dresses from indigenous ethnic communities. The dress materials are locally available also.

The customs and attire of Bhaona give us a feeling of oneness and cordiality towards each other. The original idea of dresses and ornaments for Bhaona is taken from more or less all the communities residing in Assam. The Bodo, Mishing, Karbi, Dimasa, Deuri, Ahom, Koch, and Chutiya caste Hindus are the prominent communities that Sankardeva borrowed dresses from. It's visible from the Tangali (waistband) used by Bhuyans; the main Nima (shirt-like dress) may be from Karbi or Tiwa. The previously prevalent “Oja Pali” has deep influence in Bhaona in terms of dresses and performance.

But deplorably, the use of imported attire will automatically alienate the attachment of local Assamese ethnic communities towards Bhaona. Moreover, we recently noticed that the muga (brown) colour dhoti was being worn by Gayan and Bayan instead of age-old white. It appears quite peculiar and goes against the long-standing Assamese tradition. These activities or changes simultaneously will also succumb to losing the glory of a unique Assamese Bhaona festival. No doubt, we are not totally against any changes of Bhaona, but not washing away the foundation.

Arup Saikia

(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)