Picture Credit: Sachin Bharali
Guwahati: In Assam when it’s time for Rongali Bihu, which marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year, this time the celebration will be unique as 11,000 Bihu dancers and drummers will perform the Bihu dance at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati on Thursday in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record.
Rehearsals are taking place in full swing in the state ahead of the historical moment. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present to celebrate Bihu with the people of Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that all the participants will be given a token money of Rs 25,000 for participating in the mega event.
This is the northeast’s second attempt for a record for the largest performance of a traditional folk dance. On April 5, 2019, Nagaland entered the Guinness World Records as part of the application process, and the state received “preliminary clearance” for further inspection.
Preparations for the record began a month ago involving a workshop of ‘master trainers’ of Bihu at the Srimanta Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
Training was imparted in each district by groups of around 50 Bihu dancers or master trainers.
The female and male performers will be in 70:30 ratios. As many as 1,400 performers joined from Dibrugarh, 1,000 from Golaghat, 1,100 from Sonitpur, and 800 each from Sivasagar and Jorhat districts, among other parts of Brahmaputra Valley. A group of 20 participants each came in from Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts of Barak Valley. Eight-hundred participants are from Kamrup Metro district, which is headquartered in Guwahati.
Starting from the training and rehearsal period, until the day of performance, each dancer and musician will receive Rs 10,500 as a token amount for participation. During the workshop, every performer will get Rs 300 for travel expenses. Separate arrangements will be made for food, the chief minister said.
An amount of Rs 3,000 will be provided to each dancer to help them arrange their traditional dresses in adherence to the dress code set by the government. Upon reaching Guwahati, they will be given Rs 1,000 each as part of daily expenses.
It is also to be mentioned that in his bid to promote Rongali Bihu, CM Sarma said that, beginning 2024, the state will host a seven-day Bihu festival on the lines of Nagaland’s famous Hornbill festival.
It will be held at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati and Rang Ghar in Upper Assam’s Sivasagar district, the erstwhile capital of the Ahom kingdom.
