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In Tripura, dancing, fireworks and a touch of royalty
The success of Sourabhee Debbarma is not her’s alone. All of Tripura seems to have raised a toast to her, reports Syed Sajjad Ali.
The success of Sourabhee Debbarma is not her’s alone. All of Tripura seems to have raised a toast to her.
Tripura was firmly put on the Indian music map by the illustrious film music director SD Burman and his son Rahul Dev. For Tripura residents, Sourabhee’s success is a continuation of that musical tradition.
Agartala, her hometown, celebrated as residents danced and set off fireworks till the wee hours of Monday.
Sourabhee had been backed by Pradyot Bikram Kishore Manikya, the young maharaja of the erstwhile princely state. Road shows in her support, posters, rallies and door-to-door campaigns seeking votes for Sourabhee had become common in the state.
The joy was evident in the Assembly too as it passed a resolution congratulating her.
“We almost fainted with joy when she was announced the winner… it was unbelievable,” said Sharmili, secretary of the Sourabhee Fan Club. The club, the Twipra Students Federation (TSF) and several other organisations campaigned for Sourabhee’s win. TSF was successful in persuading several student groups to start similar campaigns in their areas. It was the same across Tripura, in rural and urban areas. Abdul Hussain owns a PCO at Natunbazar, 70 km south of Agartala. “I threw it open in the last 10 days for anyone wishing to vote for Sourabhee. I didn’t charge them a single paisa,” he said.
