Tezpur, April 12: Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, finally moved into the conservation leg of their India tour, arriving in Assam to a traditional welcome this evening. They reached Kaziranga National Park at 7.45pm.
The royal couple will stay at Diphlu River Lodge, which belongs to Assam Bengal Navigation, an Indo-British joint venture, today and tomorrow.
"We were planning to see the royal couple after we came to know that they were coming. We are not at all disappointed," Abhijit Kumar Neog, a trader, told The Telegraph.
There was a campfire at the lodge tonight where the Duke and Duchess got to connect with life in rural Assam by meeting the local people and witnessing Bihu and jhumur dance, besides other musical performances. Prince William got into the festive spirit and tried his hand at playing the gogona (a reed instrument). #The royal couple reached Tezpur at 5.30pm and left for Kaziranga at 6.30pm.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi received them at the airport and greeted them with a bouquet of kopou orchid. Their visit coincides with Bohag Bihu - the biggest festival of Assam.
"The couple were given a traditional welcome by the state government and the Sonitpur district administration. They were served pithas (traditional rice cakes) and larus, besides other Assamese delicacies," Sonitpur deputy commissioner Laya Maduri told The Telegraph. Various traditional groups performed Bihu, gayan bayan, jhumur and bagrumba dances to welcome the couple.
"The Assam chief minister was present at the welcome ceremony and had high tea with them," Maduri said. The Sonitpur district administration honoured the royal couple with the traditional seleng sador, gamosa, japi and xorai.
Sanjukta Parashar, Sonitpur superintendent of police, who was in the reception team at the airport, said she was introduced to the royal couple by the chief minister. "The Duke asked me whether their visit was going to cause any traffic problem and inconvenience to the people. I told him nothing of the sort would happen," Parashar said.
She also said the royal couple and the chief minister and his wife Dolly chatted for nearly 20 minutes at the visitor's lounge of the airport.
Two senior bureaucrats of the state - V.S. Bhaskar, additional chief secretary, tourism, and principal secretary Sanjeev Kumar, environment and forests - have been assigned by the state government to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Ankur Das, a local youth, said, "I am very happy to see the royal couple."
Sushil Saikia, who runs a restaurant in Kaziranga, said the visit of the royal couple has enthused people like them, who believe it will give more importance to the national park - the abode of the one-horned rhino.
Rhino conservationist Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, CEO of Aaranyak, said the Duke and the Duchess should act as ambassadors to secure the future of rhinos through continued campaign against rhino poaching and illegal rhino-horn trade.
Wildlife conservationist Anwaruddin Choudhury said it was important that William and Kate had chosen Kaziranga over other destinations and said the visit would certainly give a big boost to the park.
"Unlike many other famous national parks in the world, in Kaziranga you get a real sense of how closely linked local people are to the animals. This connection is not always easy. The visit to Kaziranga will allow the Duke and the Duchess to see up close the work being done to manage the conflicts that arise when humans and wild animals live in proximity," a statement issued by Kensington Palace said. The couple will enjoy a safari at the Bagori range and visit the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation and Kaziranga Discovery Centre built by Elephant Family, a charity founded by Mark Shand, late brother of the Duchess of Cornwall.
