Birds fly towards bright lights in Jatinga. Telegraph picture

Nagaon, Aug. 28: “Bird suicide” will no longer be the selling point of this year’s Jatinga Festival, with water sport and angling edging past the “mysterious phenomenon” on tourists’ must-do list.

Jatinga has long been famed for the “supernatural” event of thousands of birds flying in from all over the world in autumn and then “falling to their deaths” from a 700-metre ridge, about 9km from Haflong in Dima Hasao.

Though years of research proved that the birds were mere victims of distraction, lured as they were by the flame of torches lit by villagers, “bird suicide” remained Jatinga’s USP.

This year, when the three-day second Jatinga festival begins in October 20, tourists will have a lot more to choose from.

There will be an opportunity to visit sites of interest in the entire Dima Hasao beyond Jatinga — Hajong Lake in Maibong that is popular for 10 varieties of tortoise, remains of the capital of ancient Kachari kingdom in Maibong town and the waterfalls in Panimur.

Add to that a list of sporting events.

General secretary of the Jatinga festival management committee, Kulendra Daologupu, said this year the festival would have added the attractions of angling at Dehangi and water sport at Panimur in Umrangso.

The new attractions, however, will not ring out those of the first edition like trekking in the Barail mountain range hill, bird watching in Jatinga, colourful cultural evenings and demonstration of traditional art and culture of the hill district’s tribes.

“Last year, as many as 200 tourists from outside the state had gathered during the festival which started on October 27. However, campaigning for the festival did a lot to bring more tourists to the district to witness the bird mystery even after the festival was over,” Daologupu said.

Though “bird suicide” drew a steady flow of tourists for two decades, the numbers began to dwindle with the rise in militancy in the mid-nineties.

Last year, a local organisation, in conjunction with the Dima Hasao district autonomous council, introduced the Jatinga festival to give a boost to the district’s tourism potential.

“Militancy is a closed chapter in this hill district and now people can come and participate in the festival without fear and hesitation,” said Dima Hasao district autonomous council chief executive member Devajeet Thausan.

And this year, the festival will only get bigger and better, the organisers promised.