Bihu: Music and Melody

This week marks the celebration of Assam’s most euphonious festival, Rongali Bihu, also known as Bohag or Xaat Bihu. This Bihu is composed of many traditional rituals and customs that stretch over a week-long period, in which dancing and singing play a central part. It is also the beginning of the New Year, with Bohag, the first month of the Assamese calendar, starting on 15th April. This springtime Bihu is celebrated after the seeds of “Ahu” paddy are sown in mid-April, signifying the importance and value of every harvest.
 

This time of the year, with all the sweetness of spring and the hums of dhols and pepa, is a part of Assam’s culturally rich heritage for many centuries. It is believed that the word Bihu has its origin in the Bodo word Bisu, meaning excessive joy. Original forms of Bihu continue amongst the Chutias, Sonowal, Kacharis, Thengal Kacharis, and Deoris, associated with the historical kingdom of Sadiya. Over centuries, myths and legends blended into the folk tales of the land and were orally transmitted, giving shape to imaginary figures and stories rather than historical facts.
 

But no matter how much rational modernity has entered our knowledge base, the emotions, feelings, and assumptions of the people in reference to folk cultures continue to be guided largely by prevailing myths and legends. Bihu is a very old festival dating back to the simple beliefs of the primitive cultivators. This period also coincides with the vernal equinox, i.e., Visuvan Sankranti (some believe that the word Bihu is derived from Visuvan–Visu–Bihu).
 

One of the most prominent aspects of Rongali Bihu finds expression through dance and music. Interestingly, Bihu dance and songs are passed down from generation to generation and continue to be a uniting factor among the many communities living in Assam, juxtaposed for centuries through movement and migration.
 

The varied musical instruments of Assam, made from bamboo, wood, or animal horn, lay the foundation on which not only the Bihu folk songs but also the Vaishnavite culture get their tune. Musical instruments like pepa, gogona, dhol, xutuli, toka, baanhi, khol (mridanga), singa, dotara, tokari, and bhortal/khititaal give beat and rhythm to songs across the seasons throughout the year. The use of indigenous materials gives these instruments a distinctive folk sound that continues to resonate in our minds and hearts long after the music and dance have stopped.
 

The days of Bihu are filled with the performance of husori in courtyards by a group of dancers dressed in beautiful traditional attire, dancing to the melody of gogona, pepa, and dhol in radiant harmony. In open spaces, Mukali Bihu is hosted, bringing a sense of rejuvenation and renewal under the open sky, as if welcoming the New Year with openness and newness.
 

A stage is often used, especially for cultural programmes that begin in the evenings and whose pulsation rolls into the night, leaving behind a lingering feeling of vibrancy, joy, and happiness that the season brings. This reflects the essence of Rongali Bihu. This year, as a mark of respect for the loss of Assam’s musical icon, Zubeen Garg, the programmes are being carried out more as part of a traditional formality.
 

Music has always been an integral part of society for a very long time. We are all sensitive to sounds and unconsciously absorb natural ones like the humming of birds, clapping of hands, the sound of waterfalls, galloping horses, and the list is endless. Music is sound developed by humans and has evolved across cultures to become an essential part of ceremonies, festivals, and celebrations of varied genres.
 

So, the tune of Rongali Bihu fills the air much before the beginning of Xaat Bihu. While dance and songs have predominated this festival for centuries, what struck me was a recent reading on music therapy. I first learnt about music therapy almost two decades ago. Though music has long been used for treatment purposes, it took centuries to understand its functional mode—the concept of creating vibrations in tissues and influencing the physiological functions of organisms. The earliest reference to music therapy can be traced to 1789 in an unsigned article in Columbian Magazine titled “Music Physically Considered.”
 

On delving deeper, it was interesting to learn that scientifically grounded music therapy emerged only after World War II, and the term was introduced in 1950. Contemporary music therapy is now used in many fields of medicine and special pedagogies as part of complex treatment. Following its spread, World Music Therapy Week began in 1985, when the World Federation of Music Therapy was founded to promote music therapy and its benefits globally. Currently, this week is celebrated from 10th–15th April every year.
 

The overlapping of these April days, when music is used for very different purposes, is a pure coincidence. It is worth mentioning that an initiative has been taken by Numaligarh Refinery Limited with a pilot project, “Initiative of Music Therapy,” at Dr. B. Barooah Cancer Institute—the first of its kind in the North Eastern region. Mrs. Dimpy Goswami Sharma, working as a Music Therapist under the Preventive Oncology Department, said that music resides in the air of the North Eastern region of India due to its rich indigenous musical tradition, which naturally aligns with healing and emotional well-being. Music can provide a culturally sensitive approach to rising physical and mental health issues in both clinical and community settings. Awareness, trained professionals, institutional support, and strategic collaboration between concerned institutions and policymakers can together unlock the potential to make the region a hub for music therapy in India.
 

As we soak in the festivity of Rongali Bihu, there is more than music in the air. For centuries, our ancestors have used music in so many forms that one wonders—were we ahead of time? Because this is perhaps the best season of the year to absorb music, as the light breeze and soft sun spread a radiance that adds magic to melody.