Carrying Bihu across borders: Dibrugarh man’s global adventure

DIBRUGARH, Feb 27: From the quiet and serene streets of Dibrugarh to some of the most volatile corners of Africa and Afghanistan, 33-year-old YouTuber Bibek Das undertook a journey few would dare and fewer would film.

Perhaps the first person from Dibrugarh to venture into dangerous slums, conflict zones, and culturally vibrant places in Asia and Africa, Das even met armed Taliban fighters while capturing it all on camera. Remarkably, he also managed to make Africans and even the armed Taliban dance Bihu, capturing the unprecedented moments on his camera.

Rooted in his passion for food, culture, and travel, Das began by exploring local flavours. From hidden eateries in Dibrugarh to the bustling food streets of Delhi and Kolkata, he built his audience ‘plate by plate’. “Food is history now,” Das told this correspondent. “I focus on traveling to different countries, meeting unique people and tribes, sharing their culture, and understanding how they live and what they believe.”

From India, Das ventured into Uzbekistan before pushing further into African countries – Kenya and Tanzania – and ultimately Afghanistan, a country long associated with conflict. But what sets his journey apart is not geography alone, it was his courage and curiosity.

In Kenya, he entered the Kibera slum, one of the largest in the world and often considered unsafe even for locals. “I explored Dikomba, the country’s largest and most vibrant market, where human survival, trade, and resilience come together,” he recalled.

Das said that he was surprised to discover that many Kenyans are aware of Assam and even recognise the State’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma. “That recognition, thousands of kilometres from home, filled me with pride. The most emotional moment came when I met Assamese people from my hometown living in Kenya. Sharing lunch with them felt like rediscovering Assam on African soil,” he said.

Tanzania brought a different intensity. Das met the Hadzabe tribe, one of the last surviving hunter-gatherer communities in the world, and the iconic Maasai tribe, whose proud traditions have endured despite modern pressures.

But it was Afghanistan that transformed his journey from adventurous to shocking. There, he met armed Taliban members face-to-face, dining with them, visiting their hometowns, and holding conversations few outsiders would dare to initiate. In a surreal cultural exchange, he even taught them Bihu. “I never imagined I would carry Assam’s Bihu to a place like that,” Das said.

The danger, however, was all too real. On his second day in Afghanistan, a devastating bomb blast occurred nearby, killing seven Chinese nationals and injuring several others. “That was the moment fear became real,” he said. “The blast happened just about 500 meters from where I was staying.”

By

Staff Correspondent