- Centre To Promote Indigenous Games While Preserving Northeast’s Railway Heritage

Guwahati, 28 October (HS): Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava inaugurated a Traditional Sports Centre at the heritage site of Old Amingaon Railway Station on October 27, aiming to revive indigenous games and preserve the region’s rich cultural and railway heritage.

NFR CPRO Kapinjal Kishor Sharma informed on Wednesday that this is developed through the NF Railway Sports Association (NFRSA), the facility transforms the historic railway platform into a dedicated centre for traditional sports. The initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of combining development with the preservation of heritage.

The centre will promote traditional games of Assam and the Northeast, including Dhopkhel, Tang-Guti, Peng Khel, Kori-Khel, Roshi-Tana, Mukna and Yubi Lakpi of Manipur, and Insuknawm of Mizoram. These indigenous sports reflect the region’s cultural diversity, physical skills and community traditions. However, participation in several such games has declined amid modernization, digitalization and the growing popularity of commercial sports.

NFRSA plans to organise traditional sporting activities at the centre and coordinate with organisations working to preserve indigenous games. The facility is also expected to provide a platform for state- and national-level competitions and other sporting events.

Speaking on the occasion, Shrivastava appreciated NFRSA’s initiative to preserve the historic station through its active use by children and sportspersons. He expressed confidence that the centre would help protect the heritage site for future generations, revive traditional games and nurture players capable of competing at the national level.

Established in 1908, Old Amingaon Railway Station was an important gateway to Guwahati and the Northeast during pre-Independence India. Its single platform, approximately half a kilometre long and 25 metres wide, served as a major economic and trans-shipment hub on the erstwhile Assam-Bengal Railway. The Assam Mail brought tea planters, missionaries, traders, freedom fighters and other travellers to the station, from where they crossed the Brahmaputra by ferry.

The station also holds historical significance in India’s freedom movement. Mahatma Gandhi travelled through it during his visits to Assam in 1921, 1926, 1934 and 1946. During his 1921 visit associated with the Non-Cooperation Movement, he was accompanied by Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phukan, whose translations of Gandhi’s speeches inspired thousands. British and American military personnel also passed through the station during the Second World War.

The Amingaon-Pandu train ferry operated by the Eastern Bengal Railway connected the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra, transporting entire trains and goods on specialised barges. It handled up to 250 wagons daily in each direction and linked railway networks extending through the Kaunia-Dharla route towards Lalmonirhat in erstwhile East Bengal.

The station received its last train on June 7, 1963. Railway traffic shifted to the Saraighat Bridge on June 8, 1963, bringing the ferry-linked railway era to an end.

By introducing traditional sports at this historic location, NFR aims to preserve the Northeast’s railway legacy while providing renewed impetus to the region’s indigenous sporting traditions.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash