GUWAHATI:
Altogether 11,140 dancers and drummers (dholia) will perform Bihu at Sarusajai Stadium on April 14 to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Bihu dance in a single venue.
The grand event will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and all Governors and chief ministers of the country are expected to attend the event.
In addition to this, all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and South-East Asian nations in India are likely to witness the spectacular programme.
“It is an attempt to popularize the Bihu in the international level,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while addressing a press conference on February 28.
“Of the 11,140 dancers and drummers who will take part, the ratio of boys and girls will be 30:70. There will be participants from each district of the state,” Sarma said.
Of the drummers and dancers, 1400 will be from Dibrugarh, 500 from Tinsukia, 800 from Sivasagar, 400 from Charaideo, 800 from Jorhat, 400 from Dhemaji, 700 from North Lakhimpur, 70 from Karbi Anglong, 50 from West Karbi Anglong, 50 from Dima Hasao, 50 from Dhubri, 100 from Bongaigaon, 200 from Majuli, 100 from Kokrajhar, 20 from South Salmara, 100 from Barpeta, 800 from Kamrup Metro, 300 from Nalbari, 600 from Kamrup, 200 from Morigaon, 750 from Nagaon, 1000 from Golaghat, 200 from Goalpara, 200 from Darrang, 1100 from Sonitpur, 20 from Cachar, 20 from Karimganj, 20 from Hailakandi, 100 from Udalguri, 50 from Baksa and 40 are from Chirang district.
“Our ministers will travel to the states from March 20 to 30 to invite the Governors and chief ministers,” Sarma said.
“Ranjeet Kumar Dass will travel to Kerala and Lakshadweep to invite Governors and chief ministers, Atul Bora to Bihar and Mizoram, UG Brahama to Manipur, Chandra Mohan Patowary to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Parimal Suklabaidya to Delhi, Keshab Mahanta to Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Ranoj Pegu to Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar and Puducherry, Ashol Singhal to Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Jogen Mohan to Meghalaya, Sanjay Kishan to Tripura, Ajanta Neog to Odisha and West Bengal, Pijush Hazarika to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, Bimal Bora to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Nandita Gorlosa to Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim, and Jayanta Mallah Baruah will travel to Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh,” Sarma informed.
A committee comprising Ranoj Pegu, Keshab Mahanta, Bimal Bora and Jayanta Mallah Baruah was also constituted for the programme.
“The cultural affairs department has made a sample video of the Bihu dance with limited dancers and it was sent to the Guinness World Records, which has given its initial clearance,” Sarma further said.
“If we can do it as per plan, it will be the largest Bihu dance recital at a single venue. The duration of the dance will be 15 minutes. It will be a short and sharp programme,” the chief minister said.
All the participants will be given an allowance of Rs 10,500 from which they will buy two pairs of costumes, the chief minister also said.
He said that from next year, the state government will hold a seven-day Bihu celebration in Sivasagar and Guwahati in line with Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, and will be included as Assam’s calendar event.
Besides, the state government has decided to offer grants of Rs 1.5 lakh to each Bihu celebration committee and a detailed SOP will be published within the next few days, Sarma said.
“After registering Bihu in the Guinness Book of World Records, our next attempt is to include Bagurumba dance of Bodo community in the record book next year. We are already talking to the Bodoland Territorial Council. This event will be organized in Kokrajhar,” he added.