A Bihu dancer with kopou phul on her bun. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Guwahati, April 4: It’s a symbolic, albeit the most appropriate, Rongali Bihu gift from Dispur to the people of Assam.

Forest minister Pradyut Bordoloi today declared the foxtail orchid or kopou phul, inseparable from Bihu celebrations, as the state’s official flower.

The orchid usually flowers in spring, heralding the onset of Rongali Bihu. It is worn by female Bihu dancers on their buns and is intricately woven into Assam’s cultural fabric.

Apart from the foxtail orchid, three other symbols were given “official” status — the one-horned rhino, the white-winged wood duck (deohanh) and the hollong species of trees.

“The state government has already undertaken a pilot project to make the kopou phul an all-season flower through genetic engineering. We want the people to start planting the foxtail orchid on a large scale so that it becomes truly synonymous with the state,” Bordoloi said.

The forest minister said the state had the potential to exploit the “vast domestic and international market for orchids”.

The tag of “state bird” for the white-winged wood duck is expected to give a fillip to efforts to conserve the rare species. The deohanh is known to be a “serene and shy” bird that thrives mainly in tropical rainforests.

Welcoming the announcement, environmentalist Anwaruddin Choudhury said, “With its natural habitat shrinking, the deohanh is in danger of becoming extinct. The government’s move will perhaps make the people of the state realise its importance.”

The presence of the white-winged wood duck is regarded as an indicator of the good health of the environment, especially water bodies and rainforests.

During a survey in 1996-97, only 400 birds were spotted in eastern Assam and parts of Arunachal Pradesh, excluding the Nameri National Park.

As for the one-horned rhino, it has long been symbolic of Assam. The forest minister admitted that the animal should have been declared the “state animal” several years ago.

“Assam has benefited from the uniqueness of the one-horned rhino. In fact, the successful conservation of this endangered species is a gift from the state to the world. It is befitting that the one-horned rhino should be named the state’s official animal,” Bordoloi said.

On the hollong species, the forest minister said it was the backbone of the state’s rainforests.