BHAONA AND ASSAMESE SOCIETY: A REVIEW

Samiran Bhuyan 

(samiranbhuyan977@gmail.co)

It’s a book about the deeply rooted history of Assam in all aspects. This book primarily, in many chapters, focuses on Bhaona, Assamese culture, and Sankardeva. Bhaona, or Ankiya Bhaona, is one of the prominent unifying festivals of Assam. On the other hand, Saint Sankardeva is the creator of Ankiya Bhaona. The ingredients of Bhaona were taken from pre-existing resources in Assam and India. So, the research and discourse on Bhaona propound many important reality or study worthy facts about Assam and Assamese polymath, Sankardeva, in Indian cultural history. It’s not a simple history of chronological events. We better call it investigative journalism with an inventory outlook. The author of the book, Arup Saikia, projects Mahapurush Sankardeva as a social scientist. Religion is just a part of his multifaceted personality. Moreover, as a full-fledged drama, Bhaona has music, dance, an orchestra, makeup, costumes, stages, and some other paraphernalia that are directly related to it. The origin and creation of the above-mentioned features of Bhaona are elaborately discussed in the book.

To some extent, this book, Bhaona and Assamese Society, is about the practical experience of the writer Arup Saikia. The writer travelled extensively and visited many countries for cultural erformances. The worthy experiences gained through interaction with various people are put into writing. This is the main resourceful foundation of the book—Bhaona and Assamese Society. This is a kind of comparative study of Assam and Assamese culture written in the first few chapters. The writer, Arup Saikia, tries to display Bhaona as the cultural umbrella of Assam. The other traditional festivals of Assam flow into the oceanic arena of Bhaona. The importance of religion in the creation of culture is indispensable. Another most prominent popular secular Assamese festival is Bihu. The formal appearance of Bihu at the Dikkaravasini temple of Sadiya is described in detail. Later, the influence of Sankardeva and Bhaona on Bihu is also specifically mentioned.

While discussing Sankardeva, the age-old traditional values or outlooks are kept aside. The unfounded, easily not comprehensive deeds of Sankardeva are specially highlighted. This book is written based on the ground realities of mankind. Even God and goddesses are not shown in a supernatural way. Spirituality is nothing but morality. Everything is written in real-world analytics. What’s the idea of Assamese nationalism? Before the emergence of Sankardeva, the kingdoms of Assam were known by their communities. The Ahom, Kachari, and Koch kingdoms were good examples of it. Assam is situated outside of mainland India. The first bridge constructed to connect with mainland India started during the era of the Varman Kingdom. Sankardeva later inserted reinforcement there. The saint has millions of followers, but who will shoulder his legacy? It’s very hard to reply in a few words. To claim the legacy of Sankardeva, the people of Assam are divided socio-religiously into many folds. Writer Arup Saikia tries to find an amicably acceptable reply. The world-wide experience of the writer is taken as a veritable reference.

Sometimes the book delves into the social formation and behaviour of Assam. It is, as such, a book of comparative sociology. The traditions and cultures of various countries are taken into account. The Xatra and Namghar are two prime institutions in Assam. Writer Arup Saikia Lively describes the origin and functions of Xatra and Namghar. Readers can acquire the idea of what forces drive Assamese society at large. What is the Nilachali-style construction of Assam? One chapter is added about Assamese architectural aspects, from personal houses to religious shrines, including temples and Namghars.

What’s the musical beauty of a drama? How was it created? Music isn’t the result of any process or planned endeavour. According to author Arup Saikia, “Emotive thought blended with reality created music. Music and instruments are real, concept is abstract.” A special dissertation is written on the formation and origin of the Assamese community, which is necessary for a comprehensive study of Assam. The author says that “language and literature reflect the thoughts, imaginations, and ethnic feelings of people. Long two thousand years have been spanning to appear assamese as a full-fledged language. But the acquisition of words is much older than that. It has been nearly four thousand years since the immigration of Australoids.” What is romanticism in Assamese literature? Is Sankardeva’s Keli Gopala or Parijata Harana characterised as a romantic drama? We have to go through the book to understand it. This book covers one very amazing chapter on wildlife. Once, “Bagh Bheta” (the enclosure of the tiger) was a thrilling festival in Jamugurihat (Sonitpur).

Finally, economic conditions play a very important role in society. Therefore, any historical writings are imperfect if they don’t touch on the monetary sources and dealings of the said country with others. The internationally famed traditional cloth industry of Assam has been around since the era of the epic Ramayana. The place was known as Kosha-Karanam-Bhumi (Country of Cocoon Rearers), a symbol of luxury at the time. Is salt eating a luxury in Assam? How is the salt industry in Ahom’s kingdom? Salt was really a symbol of luxury at that time. The modern Dima Hasau and Tuensang areas of Nagaland were like gold mines for the availability of salt. This book, “Bhaona and Assamese Society,” is really worth reading for  people who have the curiosity to have a glimpse of Assam in all its features. This kind of book is very limited, especially in the English language. It has a total of 160 pages. The ISBN is 978-81-97191-176.

 (Samiran Bhuyan is a writer, cultural activist, and motivational speaker.)