TURA, Dec 17 - A two-day festival at Tasek Lake near Songsak ended today with a call to go back to the rich traditions of the Garo tribe. Held in collaboration with the Songsak Block�s C&RD team along with Department of Tourism and IBDLP, the festival saw more than 8,000 people attending the first rural �Winter Fest� in Garo Hills region.
Interestingly, the lake was formed during the great 1897 earthquake. It is now the feeder for three small rivers. Fish and water is plentiful and the village has decided to discard the use of plastics to ensure cleanliness of its surroundings.
The event was inaugurated yesterday by local Mla Nihim D Shira. A traditional bamboo race (Wa�chap), a swimming competition and a cooking contest were the highlights of Wednesday�s programmes. Today, traditional strength games like �Wapong Ska� and �Anding Oka�, arm wrestling and angling competitions were held.
�We want to promote tourism in the region�, said a member of the organising committee. �This is our roots and the games that were handed over to us over generations and is something that we should keep alive�, said a villager from Napak.
The tradition of storytelling by elders was also a part of the festivities with villagers talking about history of the Lake and its surrounding villages.
