Assam: Biswanath District Agriculture Department Lights 101 Lamps of Kati Bihu

BISWANATH: Caring out the traditions of the state, the District Agriculture Department of the Biswanath District of Assam, lit a total of 101 earthen lamps to mark the occasion of Kati Bihu on Wednesday during an event which saw the presence of over 300 people.

The lighting of the earthen lamps was carried out in the Geruabari locality of the Biswanath District. Following the traditions with the prayers to make the state proper through a bumper crop was the idea behind the lighting of the lamps by the government department.

The Geruabari Naamghar premises saw a large footfall on the occasion. Visitors included dignitaries including the local Member of the Legislative Assembly of Assam Pramod Borthakur, Additional District Commissioner Dhrubajyoti Das, Biswanath Sub Division Agriculture Officer Pradip Talukdar, and several other eminent people as well as a number of citizens. Several new and old officials and employees of the Agriculture department of the district also attended the event.

Several well-performing farmers in the district were also felicitated during the event. The officials present for the celebration also spoke about various schemes of the state government and requested the farmers to utilise the same for their benefit. The lighting of the lamps was carried out in the Charigya Playground in the district.

Kati Bihu, associated with cultivation, is one of the three Bihus of Assam. This is the period of the year when the green paddy in the field starts bearing seeds to attain clusters of golden and droopy paddy seeds. The essence of the prayer is to appease God to make their paddy in the field grow free from pests and ensure them a good harvest.

The rural folks in Assam were busy from dawn to dusk on the day. The farmers go to their paddy fields in the morning and erect bamboo sticks to light earthen lamps on them in the evening. The folk belief is that after dusk, insects, including pests, will get attracted to the lamps and die, ensuring bumper paddy yields. The people of some areas of the state also believe that the bamboo posts so erected allow insectivorous birds to perch on them and feed on insects and pests. In the evening today, the farmers and their family members placed earthen lamps on the bamboo posts and lit them with the prayers of a good harvest.

Also Read: Assam celebrates Kati Bihu with traditional fervour

Also Watch: