Himadri Kalita
Unity in Diversity- India is known to be a diverse country where each state has its unique and rich culture for which the people belonging to those states feel proud whenever they receive an opportunity to present themselves to the rest of the world. The rich culture of each state has its techniques which ought to be learned while presenting on a global platform by being cautious not to hurt the sentiments of the community to whom the culture belongs.
At present, there are 28 states in the country after the formation of Telangana which was curved out of Andhra Pradesh. Each of these has at least one folk dance form for which they are famously recognized. For instance, Punjab is known for Bhangra, Maharashtra for Lavani, Rajasthan for Ghumar, Assam for Bihu, and so on. The people belonging to these states feel proud of their unique culture and the ones who are dancers by profession would realize how each art has different techniques that ought to be learned perfectly before presenting it on stage, be it global or local, so it doesn’t hurt sentiments of any community.
For years, the Northeast region had been mostly neglected by the mainland, be it in educational institutions, professional space, or anywhere else, however, recently we have started to come into focus with our achievements, rich heritage, and culture among others. Even so, unfortunately, we have long miles to go before the mainland starts treating our culture with respect and dignity.
The people of Assam take pride in their rich heritage and culture including dance, art, music, and others as these are things that have been passed on from generation to generation for ages. Among these, the Bihu dance is most loved by the Assamese community as the beats of Dhol make them move their hips, and hands to dance their heart out.
In April this year, Assam entered the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest Bihu performance in a single venue where more than 11,000 dancers and drummers performed in the presence of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. The mega event was organized at the cost of Rs. 100 crore. This attempt was made to make the rest of the country aware of our dance form and the richness of it but to what avail?
Recently, the two-day G20 Summit in New Delhi became a momentous and important event for India where the global leaders attended the summit. The global leaders upon their arrival were welcomed with showcases of traditional dance forms from different states of the country. While it was a proud moment for the other states when their dance forms were presented before the leaders, the sentiments of the Assamese community were hurt when our folk dance Bihu was showcased in a ‘distorted’ manner.
While welcoming United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a group of dancers performed our dance form Bihu, which etched its name in the world records, in a ‘distorted’ way.
After he arrived in the country, the prime minister on X shared a video of his trip to the G20 summit where a short clip of the Bihu, which he might be unaware it was presented in ‘distorted’ form, was displayed. The dance form, which had been the pride of Assam since the Ahom Dynasty, was crushed by mainland India on the global platform. Be it the dance technique or the dress code, both do not have any connection to the traditional form.
It may be noted that it was not the first time our dance form was ‘insulted’ in front of other countries because similar dance steps with the same song were showcased when Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih visited India in 2022.
For how long shall the state experience this ‘insult’ on their culture in mainland India?
Although it may be a different issue, when Tamil Nadu MK Stalin’s son and DMK leader Udhyanidhi Stalin made a controversial comment on Sanatan Dharma a few days ago, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was quick to slam the opposition bloc saying, “Rather than taking action against their alliance partners for anti-Hindu statements, Congress is seeking refuge behind the veil of ‘Freedom of Speech. Had the said leader made a comment on eradicating Islam or Christianity or any other religion, would Congress have brushed aside the issue as ‘freedom of speech’? In fact it is now clear that Congress is a key conspirator in the ‘Annihilation of Sanatan Dharma’ gang.”
Here, I am in no way supporting the DMK leader as it was definitely wrong of Udhyanidhi to insult the religious sentiments of the Hindus by saying, “Few things cannot be opposed, they should only be abolished. We can’t oppose Dengue, mosquitoes, Malaria, or Corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma). Rather than merely opposing Sanatana, it should be eradicated.”
However, what currently strikes the minds of the Assamese community is why the chief minister is still quiet and urging the media not to create an issue out of it. This made people of the state raise questions of how the government will preserve their culture if they cannot take action when it is being presented in such a ‘distorted’ manner on a global stage. Would they have maintained the same level of calmness when the opposition had made this grave mistake?
Following the incident, CM Sarma stated that he would discuss the matter after the conclusion of the G20 Summit and urged media personnel not to debate on it as it was going to be a momentous and important day for the country. Now, two days have passed since the G20 Summit, but the chief minister is yet to open his mouth over the presentation of Bihu in ‘distorted’ manner.
It was further learned that the Assam Cultural Affairs Department was unaware that Bihu would be showcased while welcoming the global leaders nor anyone from the Central government or NGO approached them for sending a team. The department does not have any information about where the group belongs. This has raised yet another question of who allowed them to perform our dance art on the global stage.
A day after the conclusion of the G20 Summit, the autumn session of the Assam Legislative Assembly commenced where the opposition parties questioned him on the row. In reply, CM Sarma said, “I am unable to understand why every time the opposition brings up the subject of Bihu. Can you not feel proud that our Bihu made it to the Guinness Book of World Records? Please learn to take pride in it and don’t drag that example in every matter and make yourself low.”
“Bihu will keep happening both in state and the national capital where 25,000 performers will perform,” he added.
Following this, when Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi raised the question on the presentation of Bihu during G20 asking, “Hon’ble Chief Minister if you love Bihu so much then why a team of excellent dance performers was not sent for the G20," CM Sarma tried to divert the issue by taking a jibe at Gogoi asking him why he keeps on jumping from the seat like a ping pong.
Are we, as the people of Assam, not allowed to question when our culture is being ‘insulted’?
Why not a single comment has been made so far by the Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah and the chief minister on this serious issue? Are they waiting for the third time when it will be ‘insulted’ again?
We should have been feeling proud that a clipping of our folk dance was displayed in the video shared by UK PM Rishi Sunak but unfortunately, we are hurt that the ‘distorted’ form was presented instead, which he might be unaware of.
When our state entered the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest Bihu performance in a single venue, we felt nothing but proud. But now it seems that the entire amount spent for the event has gone in vain as no change is felt.
Will the organizers responsible for the controversy face any action or will the matter be suppressed using political tactics?
