HT Correspondent
GUWAHATI, April 7: The biggest and the most colourful festival of Assam, Rongali is back after a gap of two years owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The three-day event will commence from April 8 at Veterinary College Ground, Khanapara, Guwahati and will be inaugurated by the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The sixth edition of the fest is emphasising on ‘Vocal for Local’ and conducting an exhibition that will see the attendance of 200 entrepreneurs, self-help groups, start-ups, agri-entrepreneurs, weavers, artisans, farmer producing companies, government agencies and industrial organisations.
Rongali will showcase products made in Assam such as Gahori brand of meat, Bahubali eggs, Repose, Kanyaka and Gorukhuti, plenty of products by startup entrepreneurs, large exhibition of Agro & allied products by APART, spectacular Assam handloom products to be displayed by weavers and artisans across Assam, wide variety of craft products and many more.
Various cuisines from entire India will be on display at Rongali. Ethnic, local, spectacular varieties of food of various Assam’s tribes and communities e.g. Bodo, Mising, Karibi, Tiwa, Dimasa will be presented during Rongali. The food exhibition will be curated by food blogger Dr Geeta Dutta and will present myriad dishes from all the tribes and communities of Assam. NGO, Priyobandhu will organise a food competition of ethnic foods, veg, non-veg and sweet dishes with large number of participation across Assam.
Rongali 2022 will also bring entire facets of Assam under one roof. Bodo, Mising, Dimasa, Rabha, Gorkha, Tea tribes, Moran, Karbi, etc., various communities will display their colourful culture. Musical bands, designers, and artisans are coming in big numbers from various council areas to perform in Rongali. Special Exhibition of Tea tribe communities will be a major attraction.
“Through ‘Vocal for Local’ exhibition, we are trying to create a market for these community-based entrepreneurs, whose crafts suffered a lot during the lull period of the coronavirus pandemic. Multi-cuisine food exhibition has always been a major attraction of the festival. This time special importance has been given to the expansion of Assamese food. In addition to this, attractive shops of Assamese and Indian food have been arranged in Rongali,” said Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief organiser, Rongali.
As Rongali is happening during the spring, Bihu Husori and Bihuwati competitions will be one of the major attractions of the festival. Bihu Husori teams are coming across Assam. Attractive prizes with first prize of one lakh each are on cards. There will be a competition of 500 years old Ankiya Bhaona, creation of the greatest Assamese of all time, Mahapurush Sankardeva will be on full display, Ram Bijoy, Rukmini Haran, Parijat Haran etc. will be performed. There will be an open mic, hip hop stage where music, poetry sessions and other activities will be held. Artists will also present folk music, independent music. As music binds people together, ‘Rongali Good Vibes Music Stage’ will have fresh and some of the famed names in the line-up including Sannidhya Bhuyan, Bhaskar Opswel, Dipakshi Kalita, Prabin Bora, Diptanil Baruah, sister duo Aparupa Satrupa and many more along with Zubeen Garg, Raghu Dixit, Bipul Chetri. Rongali will organize special screenings of blockbuster Assamese movies such as Hiya Diya Niya, Mission China, Ratnakar among others in association with the Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation. On 8th evening, Dr. Bezbaruah 2 produced by AM Television’s music and poster release will be organized before the performance of Zubeen Garg.
Rongali will present spectacular fashion shows by the best designers, models, and showstoppers, who will showcase the rich handloom and fabrics of the region. One of the major attractions of Rongali this time is Shruti Haasan, Bollywood star and musician, who will be present at Rongali along with talented artist from Assam Shantanu Hazarika. Plenty of tourists, tour operators will be visiting Rongali.
Rongali will be the biggest ever event in Assam, Entry is free. The programme will start from 11 am to 10 pm.
