Members of the Bishnu Prasad Rabha birth centenary celebration committee at the news conference. Picture by Eastern Projections

Jan. 28: The yearlong birth centenary celebration of Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha will start in the city on Thursday.

The celebrations will begin with a cultural procession, which will include representatives of various tribes and communities. Educational institutions will also participate in the programme to spread the ideals and works of Rabha for a united Assam.

Arun Sarma, litterateur and president of Bishnu Prasad Rabha birth centenary celebration committee, told reporters here today that words were not enough to describe a personality like Rabha. He said the committee had decided to organise various events in such a way so that the present generation would be inspired by Rabha’s works.

Born in 1909, Rabha was an artiste, a writer, a dedicated researcher of art, culture and literature as well as an advocate of social reformation. He spoke for the liberation and unification of the exploited and downtrodden people belonging to diverse castes and communities.

“The cultural procession will start from Latasil playground on Thursday. All sections of people will participate in it. We will try to highlight the various problems, including ethnic conflicts, that have emerged as threats to the age-old tradition of unity and brotherhood among people living in Assam. We have sent invitation letters to different educational institutions in the city to seek their participation in the procession,” he said.

The committee has organised a programme of folk songs and dances, Matir Gaan, on Thursday evening. Artistes from different parts of the state will participate in it.

The second day of the centenary function will be dedicated to Rabha’s songs and dances. Eminent artiste Ramen Choudhury will conduct the programme.

On Saturday, 16 renowned artists, including Sobha Brahma, Nilpaban Baruah and Nani Borpujari, will participate in a workshop to highlight the unique works of Rabha through their works of art. The workshop will be open for school children.

In the evening, eminent singers will sing songs composed by Rabha for the exploited and downtrodden people belonging to diverse castes and communities at a function, Ganajibanar Gaan.

Sarma said various other events would be organised in a phased manner throughout the year to make people aware of the times and works of Rabha and to pay tribute to him.

The Bishnu Rabha Institute of Social Science will be set up at Narengi and a one-bigha plot has been identified for the project.

Sarma said the committee is also planning to set up a cultural team to spread Rabha’s message and popularise his works.

The committee will hold four national seminars on Rabha’s works in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore in the middle of this year.