Distorting Bodo traditional dance and folk music: Dularai Boro Harimu Afad (DBHA) to take legal action against Bihu organizers

KOKRAJHAR: The Dularai Boro Harimu Afad (DBHA), a Bodo Cultural Organisation, on Monday came down heavily on the Bihu organizers of Assam for distorting the Bodo folk music and showing the ‘Bagurumbha’ dance in corrupted form during Bihu programmes in different places. It warned that the organization would move for a legal fight against misrepresenting the rich culture and traditions of the Bodos.

An urgent meeting of the DBHA was held at its office in Kokrajhar on Monday and discussed the misrepresentation of Bodo folk dance and folk music in corrupted form and decided to take appropriate measures against the organizers. The meeting, which was chaired by its president, Bijuel Nelson Daimary, collected the Bihu organizers, cultural troupes, and YouTube channels that dishonoured the Bodo folk music and traditional dance, besides compounding the credentials of the Bodo folk dance. The organization has lodged an FIR at Kokrajhar Police Station against eight organizers and cultural troupes for showing the Bodo folk music and traditional dances with severe distortions, as well as for violating and disrespecting the Bodo cultural heritage.

Talking to media persons, the president of the DBHA, Bijuel Nelson Daimary, said many Bihu organizers and cultural troupes of various districts of Assam performed the Bodo folk music and ‘Bagurumbha’ traditional dance in distorted form in stage programmes. “This is not the first time, but corrupted Bodo folk music and traditional dance are being performed by different cultural troupes and organisers on many occasions,” which is intolerable because no one is allowed to distort and dishonour one’s basic character of traditional dance and folk music for entertainment, he said, adding that the DBHA will not sit silent on the matter but has already lodged an FIR against some organisers and cultural troupes. He also said they have instructed their district committees to lodge cases against the cultural troupes and organizers who dishonoured and manipulated the Bodo traditional dance and folk music in their respective police stations and asked the district committees to be watchful on the group or organizers who are manipulating the basic character of the Bodo traditional dance for entertainment and attracting spectators.

Talking to The Sentinel, the advisor of the DBHA, Jogeswar Brahma, said the repeated manipulations of Bagurumbha traditional dance and Bodo folk music were a matter of serious concern, and the issue cannot be taken in a compromising manner. He said a couple of years back, the Bodo Bagurumbha dance was performed in a corrupted form in a Bihu function held at NTPC-Bongaigaon, Salakati in Kokrajhar district, and the DBHA was compelled to file a case against a cultural organizer for manipulating the traditional dance, and today, the same thing is happening. He said, “Bagurumbha” is the traditional Bodo dance with its unique identity and style, and it has a GI tag, and thus the DBHA will take a legal fight against the distortionists in the days to come.

The assistant secretary of the DBHA, Sanjib Kr. Brahma, said some cultural troupes had been misrepresenting the ‘Bagurumbha’ and ‘Bardwisikla’ dances as the same, as they had no knowledge about the unique character and dance style of these traditional dances. He also said that in a Bihu function in Tezpur, a woman with Bodo Dokhna was seen performing a “Deodani” dance with Bagurumbha music, but there is no such dance form in Bagurumbha. He said the Deodani dance was there in traditional “Kherai” dance but not with Bagurumbha music as it has its own ‘Kherai’ music. He cautioned the organisers and cultural troupes not to mix up the traditional dance with the folk music of Kherai or Bagurumbha and asked them to remain careful while composing the folk music and making choreographies of traditional dance in the near future.

Meanwhile, the DBHA has collected the data of cultural troupes and organizers that have manipulated Bodo traditional dance and folk music at recent Bihu functions. They are: Tezpuria Thepiyan of Tezpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath College of Agriculture, Tezpuriya Thespian Group’s Rangalir Samahar Zebra Force, Tezpuriya Shivam, Tezpuriya Thespian Folk Orchestra, Barama, and Arpana Sanskritik. Goshthi Dol of Morigaon, Sukladhwaj Loko Badya Dol of Abhayapur, Bongaigaon, Nakhyatra by Bijoy Sankar Saikia, Mejangkori Meghmollar of Guwahati, Mejangkori Meghmollar of Sivasagar, and Mejangkori Meghmollar at Bilasipara Bihu

Protiddhoni, Assamese Folk Musical Band Folk Orchestra, Riha Tongali Kristi Dol, Ramdhenu Culture Group, Kalikhola, Sonajuli of Udalguri, Luitporia Cultural Group of Darrang, Saraighat Lokokristi Dol, Nandonik Orchestra Group, Jhonkaar Xuror Ek Mayajaal, folk orchestra, Tezpur, etc. The DBHA cautioned these groups to refrain from manipulating Bodo traditional dance and folk music.

Photo: President of DBHA Bijuel Nelson Daimary talking to the media in Kokrajhar as other leaders of the central committee of the organization look on. (Sentinel).

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