Handicrafts being sold at the last Dihing Patkai festival. Picture by Eastern Projections

Dibrugarh, Dec. 12: Indian hospitality will be extended this season by keeping foreign sensibilities in mind.

For one, young boys and girls of different tribes will wear white gloves while serving exotic traditional food at the Dihing Patkai festival which attracts tourists from all over the world.

The fifth edition of the three-day event is scheduled to get under way at Lekhapani in Tinsukia district on January 9.

Organisers of the festival are being careful this time as foreign tourists had objected to being served with bare hands on previous occasions. “Not that there was anything wrong, it’s just that they are a little too careful about hygiene,” one of the organisers said.

The Dihing Patkai festival is the pioneer of innumerable fairs and festivals held in Assam every year with the advent of winter. It showcases the rich culture and tradition of the various tribes of the state like the Singpho, Tai Phake, Tai Khamyung, Sema Naga and Tai Ahom.

It’s not only the food department where the organisers have pleasant surprises in store for their guests. Several other innovative plans are also in the offing as “it is time to give something new to the tourists”.

Margherita sub-divisional officer (civil) Jogesh Baruah said, “We will have a separate food enclosure this time, apart from the permanent food huts. We are also training tribal girls and boys for a better presentation of things and events during the festival,” he added.

The youngsters are being taught how to welcome guests, maintain hygiene and look smart in tribal attire by experts engaged from big hotels in Calcutta and Guwahati.

The organisers have also urged the participating communities to prepare their handicrafts and garments in such a way that people can use it conveniently.

“Previous experience shows that while our traditional items are much admired, very few are sold. We are trying to put our customers’ feedback to good use by guiding the communities to prepare items in such a way that they sell,” Baruah said.

Various government departments, including handloom and textiles, are already on the job of helping tribal communities to prepare their items with an eye on the market.

The festival’s celebrity guest list this year includes Union minister for tourism Ambika Soni and Union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh.