Music from Assam:The land of Tea & Music - Page 2

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vinnie-thepooh thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

Assam being a land of composite culture reflects a chain of festivals of different tribes throughout the year.

It's as if people cross the threshold to come together with festive abandon and momentarily forget their tough lives.

The perfect fusion if heritage of tribes and subtribes has made Assam the home of the most colorful festivals. The major festival of Assam is Bihu in three forms, viz.Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu in April,Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in January and Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu in October/ November.

Rongali Bihu is celebrated by most of the races that inhabit there in their own colors and names. Thus parallels of Bihu among the races are Baisagu for Bodo Kacharis, Baikhu for Rabhas, Ali- Ai -Ligang for Misings, Bohhaggio Bishu for Deoris. Contemporaries of Magh Bihu are Nara-siga Bihu of Miring, Pushy Par. or Tushu Puja of tea tribe of Assam. Other community festivals of Assam are Rongker of Karbis, Rajini Gabra and Harni Gabra of Dimasa tribe.

The simplicity of Assamese people is reflected in their celebration. Festivals take place in a communal way, usually in a Namghar or in open space. Bamboo sticks and banana leaves are profusely used and rather than offering cooked food, nutritious food such as sprouted grams and fruits are offered during worship.

Bihu is Assam's one of the most important festivals. Cutting across the bars of class and caste, it celebrated by all and sundry. There are three such festivals in Assam: in the months of 'Bohaag' (mid April), 'Maagh' (mid January), and 'Kaati' (mid October).

The "Bohaag Bihu" (also called as "Rangali Bihu" or the Festival of Merriment) marks the beginning of the New Year - the seeding time. The "Kaati Bihu" ( also called as "Kongaali Bihu" or the Festival of the Poor) marks the completion of sowing & transplanting of paddies. The "Maagh Bihu" (also called as "Bhogali Bihu" or the Festival of Food) marks the end of the harvesting period. Of all the three the Bohaag Bihu is the period of greatest enjoyment, marking the arrival of spring season.

 

The Rangali Bihu is a dance festivel. The highlight of this dance is a group of young boys and girls, dancing in separate groups with drums beats & pipes. On its eve, the womenfolk clean the clothes and prepare special Bihu delicacies like 'Chira' & 'Pitha'. The menfolk collect necessary items like 'Tara Pogha' (ropes for the cattle) and vegetables like raw turmeric, brinjal, gourd etc.

Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu (derived from the word 'Bhoga' meaning eating or enjoyment) is celebrated when the harvesting is over. It is a harvest festival. On the eve of Bihu day, called "Uruka", women prepare rice cakes and other refreshments. The most significant part of this day is the building of 'Meji' and feasting at night. The whole night is spent in feasting, merry - making dancing and singing.

Kati Bihu or Kangali Bihu (Poor Bihu) is celebrated at the time when paddy seedlings begin to grow. In the evenings, offerings are made to the 'Tulsi' plant. Little earthen lamps ('Diyas') are lighted at its feet and puja's are offered to God for improved yield of crops.

The significance of this Bihu is more in the villages, where farmers go to their respective fields and light "Akash-Banti" or 'sky-lamp' hanging from a tall bamboo, to ward off pests and other insects.

vinnie-thepooh thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

Rongali Bihu in Assam

Beautiful agricultural state of Assam celebrates major agricultural events as the festival of Bihu. Notably there are three Bihu festivals in year namely - Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu, Bhugali (Magh Bihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar.

The Rongali Bihu marks the agricultural New Year at the advent of seeding time and is celebrated as the Festival of Merriment.
The Kati Bihu marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies.
The Magh Bihu marks the end of the harvesting period.

Of the three Bihu festivals, Rongali Bihu is celebrated with greatest excitement as it marks the arrival of spring - the agricultural season. People of all faiths and creed celebrate Bohag Bihu by singing traditional Bihugeets and performing group folk dances.

Rongali Bihu derives its name from Sanskrit Vishuvam meaning vernal equinox when day and night is of equal duration. At the time of Rongali Bihu people welcome the spring season and pray for a bountiful and rich harvest. Bohag Bihu falls in the first month of the Assamese calendar called Bohag. This corresponds to mid-April according to English calendar year. Rongali Bihu normally starts from the 13th day of April.

Rongali Bihu Traditions and Customs
To celebrate the joyous Rongali Bihu festuival, people of Assam wear new and colourful clothes. People visit their neighbors, friends and relatives and distribute sweet as they greet each other a Happy Bihu. Many people also organize grand feasts in the house to celebrate the occasion. Traditional festive food of Bohag Bihu is the special cake known as the pitha.

Colouful rituals mark the first day of Rongali Bihu celebrated as Garu Bihu. This day is dedicated to the cattle and livestock. The rest of the weeklong celebrations of Bohag Bihu are known as Manuh Bihu. A mood of festivity and gaiety is seen throughout Assam during the seven days of Rongali Bihu.

Rongali Bihu Celebrations
Rongali Bihu celebrations are quite colourful and vibrant. Marking the occasion young boys and girls in village don traditional dhoti, gamosa and saadar mekhela and sing Bihugeets or folk Bihu songs in traditional bihutolis or Mukoli Bihus. The accompanied orchestra of dhol, ppa (buffalo hornpipe) and gagana add joys to the celebrations. At several places Bihu fairs are also organized where people participate in the games and other fun-filled activities.
Edited by vinnie-thepooh - 17 years ago
vinnie-thepooh thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

A Glimpse Of Assam

Sunset at river Brahmaputra

 

Nature's Beauty

 

Dancing down the Valley-River Jia-Bharali (Bhalukpung)

 

A tea garden in upper Assam

 

Pleasure in plucking

 

 

Two leaves and a bud (eti koli duti paat)

 

A Charging Rhino in Kaziranga

 

 

Chital or Spotted Deer (Axix axix)

 

The Swamp Deer (Cervus duvauceli duvauceli)-Dal Harina

 

The clouded leopard – found in upper Assam & Arunachal

 

Hoolock Gibbon

 

 

Migratory Birds (Pelican) in a Kaziranga  Beel (Water body)

 

 

Bluthroated Barbet (Megalaima asiatica) -Hetuluka
Up..up into the sky

 

 

White Winged Wood Duck   (Deo Hauh) is exclusive to Upper Assam forests 

 

 

Festival of Spring (Rongali Bihu)- Bihu Dance

 

Bagarumba (Bodo)   Dance

 

Mising Bihu

 

 

Karbi Traditional Dance

 

 

Mohor Singar Pepa

 

 

Festival of Bodos

 

 

Mah Juj

 

 

 

Edited by vinnie-thepooh - 17 years ago
vinnie-thepooh thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

The Sattriya Dance style was evolved in the 15th and 16th century when Vaishnava Saint and reformer Sri Sankardeva a great artist and musician in himself composed his dance dramas and songs. The Sattriya Dances possess a number of hastas which are based on Natya Shastra and choreographic patterns, distinctive costumes and variety of masks. There are important Bhangis which are very much special to Sattriya dances. Hand gestures too play an important role as they are used in conveying the meaning in Abhinaya and are used in rhythmic.

Sattriya dance is taught on the prescribed techniques. The basis training begins with Mati Akharas which are basic exercises of the dance. The music in the dance mostly depends upon the khol and cymbals, supporting raga and other songs.

The Sattriya dances and music performed for centuries in Vaishnava monasteries called sattras (there are more than 500 Sattras in Assam) are gradually emerging as a neoclassical dance form. At these Sattras, Sattriya dances performed by the monks are only part of rituals. This style of dance of late has been refined without altering its basic structure as is presented in a lyrical and graceful style giving an opportunity to a performer to give a solo performance against a given repertoire. The Sattriya Dances have not  received enough exposure outside the state due to various reasons.

Text & Photographs: Gorima Hazarika, well known Sattriya dancer of the state

 

The Sattriya Dances as practiced in Sattras and elsewhere may be classified in the following manner.

A.     Dances included in dramatic such as Sutradhara Nach, Krishna Nach, Rasar Nach, Yuddha Nach, Jhumura Nach, Behar Nach and Nadu Bhangi.

B.     Chali

C.     Ojapali

 

 

Edited by vinnie-thepooh - 17 years ago
musicbug thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago
What a thread! You people have taken me to the homeland.
👏
musicbug thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago
TRIBAL DANCES
Garai-dabrai-nai, a fighting dance on horses.

Gan-daula-ban-nai, an insect catching dance.

Nenlai-gela-nai, mongoose dance.

San-galao-banai, a dance depicting a skirmish between two parties over a boundary.

Lakharu-li, sword dance performed by women carrying two swords each.

Khaijama-Phanai, sword dance performed by men.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Among percussion instruments, the important ones are the dhol, nagara, daba, khol, mridanga, jaidhol etc. The dhol, the common drum, is used in Bihu dance. Taka, a simple instrument of a piece of bamboo-tube split from one side, is beaten to keep time measurement in Bihu song and dance. Others are generally used in religious functions, the khol being the principal tala instrument for Vaishnava music. Jaidhol is also used in wedding ceremonies. Khanjari, small and light and a combination of drum and cymbals, also belongs to this class.

Wind instruments (Susir) used for Assamese folk music are the flute, the Ciphung bahi of the Bodos, the kali, the pepa, the singa and the gagana. The Ciphung is a long bamboo flute played at Bodo festivals. Kali, like its more developed version the sehnai, is played in wedding ceremonies. The singa, from sing (horn) is made of a buffalo horn with a little bamboo pipe thrust into it, some hill-folk use an ox-horn also. Pepa, inseparable from the Bihu festival, is in fact only a reed-pipe which is usually connected to a buffalo-horn. Gagana is a small, split-bamboo instrument, very finely cut and delicate. It is played by young women by holding it between the teeth, striking with the right forefinger, allowing the wind to pass as and when necessary.

The stringed instruments (tala) used by villagers are the tokari, the been and the serja or serenda. The Tokari, played like an ektara or a sitar, is widely used by folk singers and also by wandering minstrels who sing mystic songs like Deh Bicarar Geets. The sarod-like serenda is a Bodo instrument played with a bow. Been is also played with a bow, it is an evening companion of village youths who may roam about playing lilting folk-tunes. Of the Ghana classes the most important is the tal (cymbals) which has many a ramification like bhortal, khutital, karatal, mandira etc. Bhortal, the largest pair of cymbals, used by the Vaishnavas, is reputed to have been imported from the Bhotas or Bhutias. The tiniest, the Khutital, is played by Oja-Pali performers Kah, a flat bell, and ghanta, sounded during the progress of a worship, fall under the ghana class.
rongmon thumbnail
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Posted: 17 years ago
Pranjal, myself also missing home very much after seeing the posts.

Tok dekhi mor ga keneba keneba lage,
bihure oi tolite nacho nacho lage.
shootingstar thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago
great articles 👏 👏 india is really full of the sound of music, every place every corner of it.
musicbug thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

Originally posted by: rongmon

Pranjal, myself also missing home very much after seeing the posts.

Tok dekhi mor ga keneba keneba lage,
bihure oi tolite nacho nacho lage.

Feel like going home and do some bihu dance.😕

Bhaskar.T thumbnail
Posted: 17 years ago

Originally posted by: musicbug

Feel like going home and do some bihu dance.😕

A dance worth watching 😊 Love the rhythmic steps of the dance.

Great articles. Just read the article by P C Baruah. Thanks Barnalidi and Vinnie. Will read the rest too now.