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Guwahati, Jan 7: Assam could miss its place at the forthcoming Republic Day parade in the national capital, with the State’s presentation on its celebrated tea industry as this year’s theme apparently failing to impress the Defence Ministry.
It is the Defence Ministry that takes the initiative to showcase different States in the form of tableaus in moving vehicles in the parade in New Delhi, and is also responsible for the selection of the States.
Official sources told The Assam Tribune that the presentation by Assam focused on a very relevant theme- 200 years of the country’s tea industry- in which Assam has been a pioneer and still continues to dominate the sector by producing over half of the country’s total tea yield.
The Assam tableau on tea has at its centre a beautiful Jhumur dance performance by tea tribe community members.
“Of the 20 presentations made for this year’s Republic Day parade, 16 have been chosen for the parade and four are to be displayed at the Red Fort ground,” sources said.
“This has been the normal practice, with the few not making the cut finding a place in the Red Fort exhibition. But it is the moving tableaus in the parade which are keenly watched by a huge audience across the nation and are a matter of great pride for the participating States,” the sources added.
Sources said that the problem arises mainly from the practice of allotting just four places to the seven northeastern states.
“This year, the themes of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have been selected. This is actually quite discriminating for a diverse and vibrant region like the Northeast which deserves to be showcased in its entirety covering all the constituent States,” the sources said.
The fact that the Northeast has suffered a lot due to its physical isolation and a sense of alienation from so-called mainstream India for decades also makes for a strong case for proper representation of the region before the rest of India.
“The Northeast is still an unknown land for many from so-called mainstream India. Misconceptions about the region are still widespread. The Centre which asserts a lot about its commitment to the Northeast would do well to prove that by ensuring its total representation in major events such as the Republic Day parade,” sources said.
Sources said that Assam still has a chance to be featured in this year’s parade provided by the State Government takes up the matter with the Defence Ministry at the highest level.
“There had been occasions before when the Assam tableau was selected after it was overlooked initially. We hope the State Government intervenes immediately at the highest level,” sources added.