Jorhat, Nov. 26: The 10th edition of the Assam Mahotsav, 2011 will have a surfeit of traditional handicraft and handloom items as usual and a little bit of environment, education and a musical programme on Bhupen Hazarika. It will focus on the little known Sonowal Kachari community this time.

The festival will be held at the JDSA grounds here from December 2 to 14. Working president of Intandem, organiser of the Assam Mahotsav, Prosenjit Rajkhowa said in a news conference here today that the Sonowal Kacharis, who were mostly concentrated in Dibrugarh district, were slowly losing their identity for lack of preservation efforts.

“We have taken up this community and will showcase their traditions, culture, attire and food, so that other communities can interact with them and get to know about their way of life,” Rajkhowa said.

“When we speak about the Sonowal Kacharis, we are totally ignorant about their bahua nritya, hagra nritya or leseri bihu. A person of the community said while it takes only 25 minutes to perform bahua nritya, it takes about five hours for make up and dress. Likewise the hagra nritya is a colourful dance performed with painted faces. A group of artistes from the Sonowal Kachari community in Dibrugarh will showcase their folk culture on the last day of the festival,” he further said. A typical Sonowal Kachari dwelling will be set up and their will be food served in a separate eatery. Stating the other attractions, vice-president of the organising committee Dilip Bordoloi said Band of Rhythm will play the songs of Bhupen Hazarika on December 4 in two sessions, renowned indigenous craftsman Tridiv Mahanta, famed herbal medicine practitioner Gunaram Khonikar and bromide sketch artist and Guinness World Records title holder Apuraj Baruah for his longest scratch art piece will also display their wares.

President of Intandem Trideev Bordoloi said there would also be a slew of programmes for children and adults like fancy dress, creative dance, drawing competition, story-telling, a comic act competition and a poets’ meet. Experts will meet and interact on various topics during a seminar on education.

The Bharatiya Sanskritik Parishad will organise a national seminar on Chipko Movement and Environmental Challenges in Assam, which will be addressed by the founder of Chipko Foundation J.P. Dobral, on December 10 from 11am. On December 5 there will be a dance competition in two categories based on Bhupen Hazarika’s songs from 3pm.

More than 120 stalls will be set up, most of them from the northeastern states and from Mumbai, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Kashmir.

The self-help groups will have to pay only a nominal charge to set up the stalls.

“The Assam Mahotsav purports to give a platform to indigenous items like muga and pat silk, crafts of bamboo, cane, wood and reed as well as ethnic food of this region. It will also provide an intermingling of crafts and clothes of other states ,” Bordoloi said.