DIBRUGARH, March 29 � The five-day Fifth International Bodo Festival and Third Sonowal Kachari Cultural Festival at Mancotta entered the second day today.
A larger crowd attended the festival today who witnessed the grand unfurling of the Bodo National festival committee (BNFC) flag by Biswajit Daimary, president of BNFC and Rajya Sabha MP from Kokrajhar.
Smriti tarpan was offered by Tankeshwar Sonowal, general secretary of the event�s organizing committee and Deputy Chief Executive Member of Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC) who paid tribute to the personalities with noteworthy contribution to the development of indigenous and tribal society, culture and politics, etc.
A two-hour long cultural procession, taken out from Old Government Boy�s High School ground to the festival venue, was flagged off by Labour and Employment Minister Prithibi Majhi. The procession was led by Rajya Sabha MP and office-bearers of BNFC and Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC).
Majhi, while addressing the gathering during the flagging off ceremony, said culture safeguards the identity of ethnic communities and each one ought to work towards preservation and development of respective culture, language and tradition.
Bodo-Kachari ethnic groups comprising Bodo, Kacha, Hajongs, Rabhas, Garo, Thengal, Deori, Rajbongshi, Sarania, Sonowal, Moran, Mech, Barman, Dimasa, etc, besides Nepali, tea garden working communities and other ethnic groups participated in the procession in their traditional attires. Around 24,000 people took part in the procession. They also carried along with them their traditional tools and implements of agricultural, fishing, music and warfare. The procession culminated at the main jamboree hall and later cultural shows followed.