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Coronavirus lockdown plays spoilsport for Rongali Bihu in Assam
The Assam government has asked the public to follow lockdown guidelines by staying indoors and directed Bihu committees to restrict celebrations to a symbolic flag hoisting.
Assam’s biggest festival, Bohag Bihu—better known as Rongali Bihu - which heralds spring and marks beginning of the Assamese New Year, will miss the usual feasting and festivities this time, thanks to the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus.
The week-long Bihu celebrations, which start with Goru Bihu - the bathing and worshipping of cattle - falls on Monday, but the lockdown will result in curtailing of most rituals.
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The Assam government has asked the public to follow lockdown guidelines by staying indoors and directed Bihu committees to restrict celebrations by just hoisting a flag.
“I request all Bihu committees to conclude this year’s programme by hoisting the flag in presence of no more than 5 persons,” Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said following a cabinet meeting last week.
Bihu is marked by preparing various sweets and delicacies called ‘pitha’ and ‘laru’, making ‘gamochas’ (traditional towels) in handlooms, which are distributed among loved ones and month-long cultural programmes across the state.
The first day of the year, which falls on Tuesday, is marked as Manuh (human) Bihu, when young ones touch the feet of elders in the family to seek their blessings—but that ritual is likely to get affected due to social distancing norms.
In view of the spread of coronavirus- 26 Bihu committees in Guwahati had decided to cancel cultural programmes this year on March 20 itself, five days before the three-week lockdown was announced and 11 days before the first Covid-19 case was reported in Assam.
The All Assam Students Union (AASU), the influential students’ organization, which has been holding Mukoli Bihu (Open Bihu) at the Judge’s Field in Guwahati since 1982, had decided to do away with the event this year and won’t be hoisting the flag as well to mark the event.
“Let us all resolve this Bohag to fight the menace of coronavirus unitedly. Let us maintain all rules and safety measures. Only then we will be able to win this battle,” AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said in a statement.
Assam has recorded 29 Covid-19 cases till date. One patient, a 65-year-old from Hailakandi, died this Friday at Silchar Medical College Hospital.
