Assam: Traditional boat race competition held on Lakshmi Puja

KULSHI: Like the past years, this year too, the Rabha community of the South Kamrup area celebrated Lakshmi Puja. The Rabha community organized a traditional boat racing competition on the occasion of Lakshmi Puja on the Kulshi River, which is called as the lifeline of the Rabha tribal community. The traditional boat race competition was held on the eve of Lakshmi Puja on Friday.

The event was organized by the Kulshi Youth Club and attracted more than half a million people from South Kamrup and the neighboring state of Meghalaya. This year, the golden jubilee of the traditional boat race competition was celebrated with a day-long programme. The programme was inaugurated by the president of the welcome committee and prominent social worker of the area, Pradeep Rabha. The memorial service was conducted by Kulshi Youth Club advisor Badal Rabha.

The boat race competition was held on the banks of the Kulshi River and the organizers were excited to see a huge crowd of spectators. The number of teams participating in the boating competition is decreasing every year but the organizers are trying their best to maintain its popularity.

This year, 10 teams from different parts of South Kamrup participated in the tournament. The results announced in the evening showed that the Janbai boat team won first prize, Jantara boat team won second prize and Jai shree ram boat team won third prize. The first, second and third prizes were trophies and cash prizes of Rs 20,001, Rs 15,001 and Rs 10,001 respectively.

The main welcoming committee of the Golden Jubilee of Kulshi Boat Race Competition Pradeep Rabha said that such traditional games have played an important role in strengthening the bond of harmony among different ethnic groups in the tribal Kulshi area. He said the first boating competition was held on the Kulshi River in 1973 and the Kulshi Youth Club has been able to continue this tradition and celebrate its golden jubilee this year with the cooperation of the people of the area.

The day’s festivities extended beyond the race. Himanshu Shekhar Vaishya, Joint Secretary of the Assam Football Association, inaugurated the cultural stage. The subsequent cultural programme saw the presence of guests like Rabha-Hasong Autonomous Council vice-vhairman Ramakant Rabha, Executive Members Dilip Kumar Rabha, Nripen Rabha, Rashmibala Rabha, and a large number of people, all coming together to celebrate the rich heritage of the region.

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