'Fit India Movement' Makes Mockery a of Assam's Bihu on National Platform

Guwahati, August 29, 2019:

The 'Fit India Movement' was kickstarted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid much enthusiasm and gaiety on National Sports Day. In Assam, too, the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal blew the bugle of health awareness and resolved to make the State "health aware."

Soon, the entire nation saw what appeared to be a bunch of Bihu dancers (from the garb) take to the Stage in the high-profile ceremony amid raucous applause. Surely, these youngsters would take Assam's Bihu to the world on this momentous occasion? However, soon, the people of Assam were left stunned as they saw their beloved Bihu, the great folk tradition of Assam, being humiliated like never before.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/2349904358424947/?t=1

The dancers' exhibition of 'Bihu' was embarrassing, to be frank, and they looked utterly clueless! It was clear that they only had a superficial knowledge of Bihu, as what they were performing seemed more like a fusion of the Punjabi Bhangra and Bharatnatyam -- both dance forms as far removed from Bihu as possible. The dancers threw their arms this way and that, with scant regard for the form or stances of Bihu, a most venerable folk art form for the people of Assam.

All of Assam's 3 crore+ population looked away in shame, while the ministers and senior officials looked on in glee, soaking in the cringe-inducing 'Bihu' at the grand stage of the 'Fit India Movement'.

At a time when traditional art forms and culture of Assam are already dying out, it is indeed disheartening to see making a Government function making a mockery of the sentiments of the Assamese people.

For the uninitiated, the “Bihu Nasoni” (dancer) performs the Bihu wearing Muga Mekhela- Sador/ Riha with full sleeve blouse (to prevent exposure of body parts).

It is the Riha that is wrapped around the body in a manner that covers and hides the dancers’ body from getting exposed during different dance moves.

A “Bihu Dance” is incomplete without proper dress code and body movements. The moves in a Bihu dance are inspired by many elements of the nature that include harvesting movement, weaving movements, the structure of a buffalo horn, etc.

Condemning this incident, All Assam Students' Union (AASU) General Secretary, Lurin Jyoti Gogoi, said "Bihu is the identity of Assam. Nobody has the right to mock this folk culture. The AASU strongly condemns this incident. We urge the people trying to dilute our identity not to do so. The dilution of our language and identity is not acceptable at any cost. Their dress, their dance -- all of it is highly condemnable. This seems like a conspiracy to destroy the culture of Assam.."

Madhurima Choudhury, a renowned film actress and one of the prominent exponents of the dance form, was similarly aghast. "This is not a Bihu Dance, but rather a bheku bhawna (cheap drama). I am embarrassed, saddened -- because Delhi is not that far away from us. This is not creative, neither is it 'modern'. In the videom we can hear something like a pepa (buffalo horn), however, we cannot call this 'Bihu'. We have been insulted as a community. The beautiful Bihu dance, the rich culture of Assam - where did they get the courage to mock this?' The danseuse further warned that such things should not happen in the future.

"We have been working tirelessly to establish Bihu in the international arena, and I believe gimmicks like these will only set us back by several years", she said, adding that she is "stunned" by the gall of the people who came up with this "vulgar" act.

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