Making Xatras Self-sustaining

The BJP-led State government headed by Sarbananda Sonowal has done well by sanctioning a sum of Rs 2 crore for development of Xatras across the state in the current financial year. This government came to power with the promise of protecting ‘jati-maati-bheti’ of the Assamese and other indigenous communities of the state, and allotment of Rs 2 crore for development of the Xatras is definitely one step in this direction. The Xatra development scheme, as has been announced by Minister for Archaeology Keshab Mahanta, will be implemented by the Directorate of Archaeology through the different deputy commissioners in whose respective districts the selected Xatras fall. The Directorate has already selected twenty particular Xatras for this purpose, and these are spread over the districts of Majuli, Goalpara, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Golaghat, Biswanath, Sivasagar, Barpeta, Morigaon, and Nagaon. What however needs to be made known to the people of the state is the kind of development activities that these Xatras are required to carry out with the Rs 10 lakh that each of them would receive. Different Xatras must be having different needs. If some Xatras are in urgent need of repair of buildings, some others might have requirements like installation of water supply and revamped electrification, and so on. But then, the bigger issue that the government of Assam, as well as the managements of the different Xatra institutions, should look at is sustainability, so that they can grow and stand on their own feet rather than always looking towards the government to provide them funds. Most Xatras have land of their own which can be put to proper use in various ways. Mahapurush Sankaradeva had envisaged a Xatra as a centre of learning, as well as a centre of meditation and prayer. In the present era when the Prime Minister of the country is laying stress on skill development and raising slogans like Skill India, the Xatras of Assam can very well become excellent skill development centres. The Mahapurush had set up Xatras with the intention of training the village youth in various kinds of art and craft, like carpentry, wood carving, painting, making of masks and various other items required for production of bhaona performances, manuscript painting on the sachipaat, apart from imparting training in dance, music, theatre-craft and so on. Given this backdrop, the government should actually draw up a comprehensive programme so that the Xatras can become self-sustaining. Several Xatras in Majuli have already started looking at tourism as one source of generating income. Some of the bigger Xatras have also leased out land to some tea estates. Xatras can very well attract large number of artistes from different parts of the world on a regular basis for imparting training in Xatriya art and culture. At the moment, such activities are not happening on a sustained and continuous manner. Simultaneously, the Xatras can also spread their wings and empower the youth of their surrounding villages, as also of those families who are affiliated to them. After all, this is an age of globalization, and the Xatra institutions cannot afford to remain and function in isolation, and only on financial grants from the government. Moreover, every government may not like to continue the scheme which the present dispensation has started.

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