Guwahati, 22 February (HS): Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that the biggest Jhumar dance performance will be organized in Guwahati on 24 February in the glorious presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More than 9,000 artists from the tea garden community will participate in this historic event.

The Chief Minister said that an inseparable part of Assam's tea garden and tribal society is the folk dance called Jhumar. At the time of the rise of the tea plantation industry in the 19th century, the hardworking men and women who made Assam their home started the Jhumar dance as a form of joy and collective celebration after hard work.

He said that Jhumar, which once started as a means of entertainment and relief from hard work for the workers, has today become the main art form of the identity of the tea garden community. In this dance, men and women perform wearing traditional ornaments like Sitapati, Hasuli, Jhumka, Chandrahar, Payri. Also, the melodious sounds of musical instruments like Madal, Dhumsa and Flute add to its beauty.

The Chief Minister said that the objective of this grand event is to give due recognition to the rich cultural heritage of the tea tribal brothers and sisters of Assam. For a long time, the people of this community have been victims of poverty and neglect. Despite facing exploitation from generation to generation, their culture did not get the respect it deserved.

He said that we are not only giving them respect by presenting their culture in a grand manner, but are also continuously working to establish new schools, roads, colleges in the tea garden areas and to provide employment to qualified youth. Our effort is that the coming generation becomes doctors, engineers and government officers.

The Chief Minister appealed to the public to enjoy the Jhumar dance performance organized at Sarusajai in Guwahati on February 24 and witness this historic moment.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash