
Over acres of fallow fields, the siphoong sounded calling old and young, male and female to a congregation of the Bodo community. The celebration of 64 years of Bodo Sahitya Sabha was the occasion and it is no exaggeration to say that thousands attended the four-day celebration. The Siphoong is the indigenous instrument that is favoured by the Bodos and was interpreted by Bodo writer Rashmi Narzary as ‘breath of life.’
Temporary halls to house the conference had been constructed in the middle of the fields, providing room for the meetings, and a dining hall dominated the area where an army of female cooks, assistants, and volunteers continuously served tea and coffee, and plates of the delicious sticky rice cakes of Assam origin. The most impressive part of the Sahitya Sabha jubilee was the whole-hearted participation of the whole community and the manner in which they had made it their own. Memories of Kohima Sahitya Sabha immediately came to mind as I recollected the very modest little hall across the street from the Ruby Cinema hall which stood in an innocuous corner. During our university days, we once hired it paying probably 200 rupees to stage a play. We never knew much about the working of the Kohima Sahitya Sabha in our childhood, except to be aware that such an entity existed. Thus, I was not prepared for the magnitude of the celebration in Udalguri. It looked like every member of the society had a role to play. Young boys were acting as guides, directing traffic to the right points. Young girls aided the women in the dining hall. They also escorted female guests to important spaces such as the washroom. Both old and young men attended the meetings, and contributed their knowledge. Older women were queens of the dining room, supervising and serving the delicacies they had prepared beforehand. At lunch, I opted for a vegetarian meal. But my companion was a hearty non-vegetarian. I saw that he was being served different non vegetarian dishes including a plate of fried silkworms. Who could resist that? I asked to taste the same, and the server sheepishly brought it to me. I had noticed she had been quite furtive about serving it to my companion. The silkworms were scrumptious.
There were many things that impressed. One was the opening dance and accompanying music on the drums and flute. Beautifully executed by women in muted orange body cloths and red scarves, the dancers simulated in unison, possibly the flight of a mythical bird. The drumming and the harmony of dance and music easily brought tears to one’s eyes. The beauty that a community could bring forth when it chose harmony over conflict was very moving.
Today, the Bodos are a community clearly resisting the stereotype of violence and conflict. I was saddened at first to discover that many Nagas, and possibly many Northeasterners still viewed Bodo lands as an unsafe area. That is a constructed identity that belongs to their past and should no longer apply to them. It is very obvious that the people have peaceful existence on their hearts. The music reverberating across the fields speak of this so eloquently. The unity of spirit that brought out the hordes of celebrants is another sign.
The participants were not limited to India. The team from Bangladesh were speakers of Kokborok, They performed an elaborate dance dressed in their blue and deep red body-cloths . My Bodo escorts explained that they could understand each other even thought the accent of the Kokborok speakers from Bangladesh was very different from theirs. Another team that attended was the team from Nepal, all Bodo speakers who had settled in Nepal. The manner in which the Bodo Sahitya Sabha has cast its nets far and wide and pulled in Bodos not only from within Indian borders, but from other countries, is very impressive and encouraging. There are many points that we can copy from the jubilee. There was something for everyone. An exhibition of very high quality was organized depicting Bodo life and culture. It drew diplomats from ten different countries to visit and consider future collaborations. These are just some of the bonuses. The biggest blessing has been the manner in which the community came together to proudly showcase their culture, and partake in the jubilee by exercising a healthy proprietorship and using it as a platform for continued unity. I wish the Bodo community a beautifully harmonious future indeed.