JAGIROAD, March 2 - The rich cultural heritage of the Tiwas inhabiting Assam and Meghalaya has so far remained sheltered and hidden from public exhibition largely due to the lack of opportunities and avenues of preservation, sustenance and display.
In order to highlight and showcase varied aspects of the lives of the Tiwas under the context of the rich cultural heritage of the Northeast, Markangkuchi Tiwa Kanthi Juri Jamat, a cultural organisation of Tiwas, organised a three-day Sograsal Tiwa-Folk cultural festival which concluded on Sunday at �Sograsal� venue of the festival near Jagiroad with various programmes.
The three-day programme began with the inauguration of the festival by Swapnanil Baruah, Commissioner, Industry and Commerce, Government of Assam. Noted literateur Nanda Sing Borkala released a book Tiwa Rajyar Buranji written by Narayan Kr Rodokakati.
In his speech, he appealed to the people, especially, the Tiwas to preserve the ancient folk culture of Assam through such festivals.
On February 27, the president of the organisation, Nadiram Deuri, hoisted the flag which was followed by smriti tarpan offered by Ananda Ram Deuri.
Murulidhar Das, researcher of Tiwa folk culture inaugurated a seminar on the topic �preservation and development of Tiwa folk culture�.
Lakhi Kanta Bordoloi, vice-president of Asom Bihu Suraksha Mancha, inaugurated a traditional �Usha-Borot Khunguri� competition, while Arunima Devi, singer, inaugurated a colourful cultural function in which several Tiwa folk dances were performed on the evening of the concluding day.
