HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, July 17: The Laikhuta for the upcoming seven-day Bhaona festival, dedicated to the cultural and spiritual legacy of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, was ceremonially installed at Jatiya Swahid Bakori in Majgaon, Tezpur on Wednesday.
The festival will be held from August 3 to 9 under the initiative of the town’s youth community.
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Performed in a devotional atmosphere amid the sounds of khol, taal, and conch shells, the Laikhuta installation was conducted by Shobhan Mahanta, Deka Satradhikar of Baralimora Satra and a prominent Sattriya artist, in the presence of a large gathering of devotees and Bhaona enthusiasts.
Bankim Sharma, President of both the organising committee and the historic Ban Theatre, also took part in the ceremony.
The festival is being organised by the Tezpur Bhaona Festival Celebration Committee, which was recently formed at a public meeting of over a hundred Bhaona lovers.
The committee is led by Bankim Sharma as President, Mrigen Chandra Bora as Working President, Gitartha Hari Kashyap and Abinash Saikia as Joint Secretaries, and Shekhar Baruah as President of the Finance Subcommittee.
A 60-member team is currently working to oversee the festival’s preparations.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Sibaranjan Mahanta, retired principal of Nagaon Commerce College, delivered a talk on the cultural significance of Bhaona, tracing its origins to Srimanta Sankardeva’s propagation of Ekasarana Naam Dharma. His recitations of Bhaona passages brought alive the spirit of Sankari culture among the audience.
The festival will formally commence on August 3 at 9 AM with the installation of the main mandap, followed by a public Naam-Kirtan.
The seven-day programme will include performances of six Bhaonas by village troupes, as well as Dihanam, Borgeet, and Sattriya dance competitions.
Joint coordinator and Tezpur Regional Student Union secretary Gitartha Hari Kashyap informed the press that the event is part of a continuous seven-year effort to promote Bhaona among the youth through workshops and awareness campaigns.
He added that special steps are being taken to engage school, college, and university students.
Speaking to the media, Bankim Sharma described the festival as “a noble effort” by Tezpur’s youth.
“In times when cultural distortion is becoming rampant in the name of modernity, such efforts are a positive sign,” he said, “Bhaona continues to be a vital pillar of Assamese classical culture, and this festival will help strengthen our connection to our spiritual and cultural roots.”
