First Bodo Harimu San in Kokrajhar marks Kamini Kumar Narzary centenary

Kokrajhar hosted the first-ever Bodo Harimu San (Bodo Culture Day), a three-day festival marking the 100th birth anniversary of Ustad Kamini Kumar Narzary, the celebrated Bodo folk dance artiste who was the first person from the Northeast's tribal communities to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

The festival ended on Monday at the Tarang Jijiri Playground, where about 800 artistes from different parts of the country performed over the three days.

Leaders on stage

The closing programme was attended by Assam cabinet ministers Jayanta Malla Baruah, Biswajit Daimary, Charan Boro and Bimal Borah, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary and other guests, who cut a cake to mark the centenary.

A crowd favourite was a joint performance on the traditional Bodo instruments kham (drum) and sifung (flute) by Mohilary, Malla Baruah and Daimary.

Bodo and other traditions

Bodo dance forms performed during the festival included Bagurumba, Dahal Thungri, Na Gurnai, Daoshri Delai and Kherai. Other communities of Assam and the region were represented through Bihu, the Koch-Rajbongshi Goyalini, Garo Wangala, Adivasi Dasai, Gorkha dance, Sarania Kachari Jaakhi, Hajong Lewatana, Rabha Maslangga and the tea community's Jhumur, along with Sambalpuri dance.

Troupes from West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura, Odisha, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh also took part. Cultural exhibitions ran alongside the stage shows.

Who organised it

The festival was organised by the BTC government with Bodo Harimu Afat and the Sangeet Natak Akademi to honour Narzary's contribution to Bodo folk art. Organisers described Bodo Harimu San as a new platform to showcase and preserve Bodo cultural heritage while bringing the region's many ethnic traditions together on one stage.

Why it matters

Narzary is remembered for taking Bodo folk dance, especially the Bagurumba, to national stages. The Bagurumba, often called the butterfly dance for its gentle, wing-like movements, is performed by women in the traditional dokhona and aronai, usually to the beat of the kham and the notes of the sifung.

The Bodos are the largest plains tribal community in Assam. The BTC, a Sixth Schedule council, administers the Bodoland Territorial Region, which covers Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Tamulpur districts. Organisers did not say whether Bodo Harimu San will become an annual event.