Jorhat, Nov. 19: Dispur will organisea three-day meet-cum-cultural presentation programme this month in Guwahati to preserve the folk traditions of all tea garden communities of Assam.

State forest and environment minister Atuwa Munda, who also holds charge of tea tribes welfare department, told The Telegraph from Guwahati today that the government would prepare a plan to restore the wide range of cultural traditions, including songs, dances and music of tea workers' communities, who were brought from different regions of the country by the British rulers in the early 19th century to work in the newly built tea estates.

Munda, who himself belongs to such tribes, said the tea tribes, also known as Adivasis in certain areas of lower and northern Assam, comprised about 98 tribes and sub-tribes. With varied customs and traditions, the tribes had formed the culture of the tea workers' community, a part of Assam's cultural heritage, he added.

"Some folk traditions of the tea workers' community were lost in the passage of time. So, there was an urgent need to preserve the culture," Munda said.

The minister added that the tea tribes welfare department would organise the meet at Khanapara field, where all organisations, related to tea and ex-tea tribes and Adivasis, including literary bodies of tea tribes, would participate to chalk out a long-term plan to preserve their culture. The tentative date of the event is November 27.

Munda said apart from collecting data on subject, the planning of a project, which would include preparing a calendar to organise different cultural programmes through-out the year in the state and opening a museum and cultural centres on tea tribes, would also be done at the meet. Cultural presentations and an exhibition would be organised on this occasion, he added. Munda said a meeting of his department officials and representatives of all the tea community organisations would be held in Guwahati tomorrow to finalise the date and schedule of the meet. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi would be the chief guest of the meet.

Dispur's move assumes political significance as tea tribes have traditionally been major bastions of the Congress and have been voting the party to power in the Assembly and parliamentary elections.

However, in last year's Lok Sabha elections, the tea tribes left the Congress disappointed as the BJP wrested seven seats, while the ruling party was left with three. The state government has been initiating several pro-tea workers' steps to woo the community back to the Congress fold.