Rongali Bihu Celebration.....Shillong 2010.

Hi friends --something at professional front is keeping me occupied because of which i am not as much regular visiting you all .I will be back to blogger by the end of this month .Here are few more pictures from Shillong Bihu celebration,which i would like to share with you .Bihu is one of the biggest festival of this part of India. This celebration reflects the rich cultural heritage of this beautiful region as the people from all the communities /tribes participate with equal enthusiasm .The spirit of Bihu binds all of them together irrespective of their caste,creed and religious beliefs.

The picture above is of famous Wangala Dance of Garos .Meghalaya, which means land of clouds, is mainly an agricultural and farming land. The inhabitants here therefore generally worship the Lord of farming and agriculture. The Wangala Festival which is also known as Hundred Drums festival is therefore a grand Carnival to celebrate the harvest season.It is a "Thanksgiving" ceremony to Misi Saljong, also known as Pattigipa Ra'rongipa (The Great Giver) for having blessed the human beings with rich harvest of the season.This dance was presented by the dancers of Meghalaya art n cultural group.If you are interested you can read more about this dance here .

Here in this picture the artist is playing Assamese Traditional musical instrument known as PEPA --it is an integral part of the folk music of Assam.It is usually with a very short stem made from small diameter bamboo/cane/reed with the end away from the mouth capped with the horn of a buffalo.
I clicked the above picture back stage where these beautiful dancers were waiting for their turn....i loved the way they smiled at the camera.

The same group later performed Bihu dance...it was an enthralling performance.Bihu’ performed by young men and women reflect youthful passions and joys during the spring season, accompanied by songs woven around the theme of love and physical yearning. The whole atmosphere comes alive with the rhythm of drums and flutes.

Here is Snow Lion-Dance being performed by the Tibetan community of Shillong.In Tibet the Snow-Lion symbolized the fearless and elegant quality of the enlightened mind.When a healthy and harmonious environment is established by the creative activities of human being such as through the performance of sacred purify and healing music,all living beings are represented by the snow lion..

This group presented Bagrumba-Dance.Bagrumba is one of the main dance forms of Bodos, the largest tribal community of Assam.The attire you see them wearing is completely hand woven.Holding the ends of colourful scarves hung round their necks, the dancers move forward and backward with alternate footsteps to the accompaniment of Kham (drum) and Sifung (flute). The special features of the dance like harmoniums jerks of the waist, graceful, forward and backward swinging of the body and wrist that makes it more fascinating.

Here comes another beautiful dance form of Assam...Jhumur -Dance. Assam is very famous for its tea gardens. The people residing in an working in the tea gardens of Assam are called “kulis”. The tea tribes have a synthesized form of dance called "Jhumur Nach", performed by girls and boys together, or, sometimes by the girls alone, with precision of footwork while clasping tightly each other's waist .The dance is performed to the rhythmic accompaniment of the Madal(dhol). The costume worn by the Jhumur dancers is different from the traditional costume worn for the Bihu dance.
This is Goalporia-Dance.Songs and dances are an integral part of the lives of the people in Goalpara district.The song on which these dancers performed is one of the most popular Goalporia song 'Kamola sundori nache'.
Buwari-Bihu (buwari means a daughter-in-law)....this bihu dance is performed mainly by the married ladies.
The members of the ladies club presented this beautiful chorus .As you can see all of them are wearing traditional Mekhela Chador.

Hope you liked the post,i will be back to you all in a week or two.Thanks for your constant support and encouragement.

information on few dances ...courtesy Culture of Assam(official website ).

A little bit of Shillong

Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya state of India .It was a part of undivided Assam , on 21 Jan 1972 it achieved its statehood.This beautiful state is the homeland of three of India's ancient hill tribes/communities Khasis,Garos and Jaintias.The state is called Meghalaya which means Abode Of Clouds as the hilltops are generally covered by dense and beautiful clouds making them almost indistinguishable and inseparable.It is a landlocked territory of lovely hills.Agriculture is the main source of livelihood here.The state has rich source of deposits of coal,limestone,sillimanite,fire clay,dolomite,feldspar,quartz.Its thick forest produce timber species like Sal,Teak,Titachapa,Gamari,Pine ,Birch etc.It is also rich in wildlife ,there are also some rare species of birds like the adjutant stork which can be seen here.It is also rich in orchids.The famous insect eating pitcher plant which is a botanical wonder is found abundantly in the hills of Meghalaya.Here in this picture above you see young girls and boys wearing traditional Khasi attire.....i clicked this picture back stage right after their dance performance during Rongali bihu cultural event at Shillong.

Bejeweled women  attired in traditional finery , silver clad men in colorful costumes dance along with the drummers and flutists. Male wear Jymphong which is a long sleeveless coat without collar, fastened by threads in front and a dhoti with an ornamental silver waist-band. The attire is complimented by a turban or a headgear. Ladies wear Jainsem a two piece unstitched wrap around garment woven from the mulberry silk cultivated in the local region and they too wear a beautiful silver crown on their head.

Here is another group of young ladies wearing traditional Khasi dress Jainsem. ...they were about to present a Christian devotional chorus in the same event . Meghalaya is one of the three states of India to have a Christian majority with approx.70%of the population following Christianity.The Khasis are believed to be the remnants of the first Mongoloids overflow into India.They have matrelineal society where the descent is traced through the mother .It is only the youngest daughter or Ka Khadduh who is eligible to inherit the ancestral property.If she dies without any daughter surviving her the property is inherited by the next surviving elder sister.Ka Khadduh needs to obtain an approval or consent from her uncle and brothers in case she wants to dispose the ancestral property.

As Shillong is known for its scenic beauty and cool climate ,it is considered one of the most favorite tourist destination of NE region of India.We were there on a short trip but still we managed to take the kids to Ward's Lake which is situated right at the heart of the town and is very near to our home there.
Feeding the fishes and pedal boating are the main attraction .....we did little bit of both.We were lucky to get a sunny weather through out our stay .

This is Lady Hydary Park ....not only it is beautiful but also it has a mini Zoo attached to it.

Elephant Falls

One of the main attraction of Shillong is Elephant Falls.

The main Falls :Elephant Falls

Originally the Khasi people named the falls Ka Ksaid Lai Pateng Khohsiew (three steps waterfall) because the water falls into three steps.When the British people came and found the water falls they named it Elephant Falls because on the left side of the falls there was a rock resembled the Elephant but this rock was destroyed by the earth quake in the year 1897.

view of Shillong

Bihu Is In The Air

Onset of the Assamese new year(at around 15 April every year) and coming of spring is celebrated as Rongali-Bihu or also called as Bohag bihu.This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar and is observed all over India though called by different names.The above picture is a of a group of Bihu dancers ,these groups visit household to household to sing and dance .Rongali bihu is a seven day long celebration but out here it is celebrated the whole month around.This group was sponsored by Reliance mobile group:they were performing in a housing society near my house .

Here is a picture of girls wearing traditional muga silk mekhela sador .These groups of mainly unmarried and young people visit individual households, by first announcing their arrival at the gate (podulimukh) with drum beats. The singers are traditionally welcomed into the courtyard where they sing the songs and perform the dance. At the end of the performance they are thanked with an offering of tamul in a Xorai(a bell metal stand) whereupon the group bless the household for the coming year. If there is a bereavement in the family, or the family does not invite the group due to an illness, they offer blessings from podulimukh and move on to the next house.
These kind of group usually sing romance and love themed songs.As bihu is commencing ,this year too like always me and my family is visiting our Shillong house for few days.There is a lot to do....packing winter clothes as it would be very cold there even at this time of the year .Bihu is celebrated very grandly in Shillong by Assamese community residing there.Hope to bring more for you about Rongali- Bihu once i get back.I will not be able to visit your blogs for few days.I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Rongali Bihu.