Flood-hit area turns festival ground in Asom

Guwahati, Jan 4: If the harsh monsoon tale of this locale is frought with haunting cronicles of flood and erosion, winter is equally bountiful attiring the place with an exquisite splendour.

The sprawling banks at the confluence of Desang and Brahmaputra rivers at Desangmukh in Sivasagar district of Asom played host to the Desang Festival from the New Years day.

The banks have turned into a festival ground for the second consecutive year with the organisers planning to turn it into an annual affair and targeting to add it to the country's tourist map at the earliest.

Festival Project Director Prabhat Konwar informed over telephone that the Festival had registered over 70,000 visitors during the first three days itself. ''We expect many more today as it is the last day of the Festival,'' he added.

Concluding today, the festival, a state government initiative, has served the double purpose of providing exhibition-cum-sale platform for the Self Help Groups (SHGs) of the state as well as a meeting ground for the ethnic groups.

Mr Konwar said,''The local Mising tribe and Nepali people are participating in the festival. Other tribes such as Deouri and tea tribes have also participated.'' A Naga village in the district has also joined the Festival, besides other participants showcasing traditional Assamese dance and song forms for the tourists.

The project director said a fashion show, showcasing bridal wear of different states of the country, was a major crowd puller on the second day. A musical night, featuring top-line singers of the state, is the special attraction of the Festival on the last day, he added.

He informed that the local people made a beeline to the Festival grounds with tourists from other parts of the country as well as North Eastern states attending it. ''Foreign tourists were also seen during the Festival days,'' he added.

The spot across the river of the Desang Festival ground was a popular picnic spot during the winter. With revelers thronging the area for picnic, footfalls on the festival grounds have also registered a sharp rise.

Mr Konwar informed that all the nine development blocks of the district have been represented and were assigned to host cultural functions through the four days.

He said over 100 stalls have been set up by various SHGs, with three book stalls from Guwahati, Jorhat and Goalpara also setting up their shop.

The festival organisers were eyeing a place on the country's tourist map and making arrangements to meet the necessary guidelines, like hosting it on the same date annually, proper transportation and lodging facilities.

Mr Konwar informed that the state government had already built a tourist lodge and roads had also been repaired, with additional transport facilities to the festival grounds, 12 km from Sivasagar town, provided during the festival days.

He said additional infrastructure needed to be developed, adding that the local people had shown goodwill in ensuring that the festival becomes a success.

UNI