Assam celebrates Bihu with gusto, prays for peace

Guwahati, April 15: The entire Assam in soaked in Rongali Bihu festivities. From villages to cities, Assamese people welcomed the month-long harvest festival with great gusto.

Amidst all celebrations, revellers prayed for peace and tranquility, as Assam suffered almost three-decade-long violence, due to rise in home-grown militancy in the state.

"But, times are better now. Peace prevails in the state. Bomb-blasts are no more a regular affair. Now, we can come out in the open without any fear and enjoy festivals," said Drupad Sharma, an entrepreneur based in Jorhat.

Although threats were issued by ULFA's Paresh Barua faction against performing Hindi film songs and dance numbers during the cultural programmes, but Bihu revellers decided to ignore any hurdles in the celebrations.

The ULFA faction had issued a statement last week warning musicians and other artistes against performing Hindi film songs and dance numbers, describing these as "India's cultural invasion" of Assam.

As relative calm and peace prevail in the state, it is the "modernisation" and "commercialisation" of Bihu that are worrying all.

"We have lost the traditional fervour of Bihu. Now, all the modern elements have entered our culture and ruined the true beauty of Bihu," said nanogenarian Hemalata Barua, recalling the pristine beauty of Bihu during her heydays.

"We call it fusion Bihu. From Bollywood to Hollywood, Bihu has incorporated a global look. Times are a changing and we cannot complain much," said college-student Rupa Saikia.

Irrespective of little bit of concern for peace and saving traditional elements of Bihu, revellers have thrown all caution to the wind and enjoying the festival.

After all, it is Bihu!

OneIndia News