A dance troupe at the festival. Telegraph picture

Jorhat, Jan. 7: The three-day Desang festival began yesterday at the Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Kshetra in Desangmukh, Sivasagar district.

Into its second day today, the festival attempts to foster ties between the three neighbouring states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland by showcasing a fusion of different ethnic groups and their culture, cuisine, dance and music powered by cultural troupes from the states.

Desangmukh is a Mising-populated village situated on the bank of the Desang joining the Brahmaputra, about 12km southwest of Sivasagar town.

The festival has been organised by the district administration of Sivasagar in collaboration with the local people of Desangmukh.

Temsu Wathi Ao, district informatics officer, NIC, Mokokchung, and co-ordinator, Border Peace Coordination Committee (Assam-Nagaland), said the purpose of this festival was to improve cross-border relations with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland by way of cultural exchange.

Citing an example, he said a troupe from Tanhai village of Mon district in Nagaland, in a performance yesterday, had depicted the circumstances of marriage and relations between the Ahom king Gadadhar Singha and Dalimi, a girl of that village.

“All the shows will lead to a better understanding and bonding between these two states as well as Arunachal. In fact, troupes from Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh, Mon and Mokokchung districts in Nagaland, the three districts which border Sivasagar in Assam, will all perform here,” Ao said.

Today’s programmes mostly comprised competitions on ethnic food (pitha), made of rice powder and pounded in the traditional dheki, as well as other culinary items. There was a cultural show in the evening.

Assam minister for forests and panchayat and rural development Rakibul Hussain, while inaugurating the festival yesterday as chief guest, had praised the organisers for initiating such a grand event.

He said it would help create a platform for co-ordinating transborder relations with neighbours and the positive initiative of the Border Peace Coordination Committee (Assam-Nagaland) for creating a solid platform to address the grievances of the people living in the border areas, thus effectively managing transborder conflict.