TURA: A hundred male drummers beating the traditional drums and a hundred maidens in colourful attire dancing to its beat delighted thousands of people, including tourists, local and foreign, who came to Asananggre village to witness the grand finale of the 100 Drums Wangala Festival on Saturday.
Taking part in the biggest festival of the Garos as the chief guest, Meghalaya Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma spoke about the importance of preserving the traditional values which had been an inherent part of the local culture and encouraged the promotion of cultural heritage by showcasing the traditions and way of life through annual festivals like the 100 Drums Wangala.
Besides, the Chief Minister, several dignitaries also took part in the festival including Health and Family Welfare minister, A. L. Hek, Sports and Youth Affairs minister, Zenith Sangma, Parliamentary Secretaries, Legislators, members of the District Council, local leaders and visitors including domestic and foreign tourists.
“Agriculture is our culture and way of life and this festival proves that it is in our culture to give thanks to the Almighty Giver for the blessings bestowed on us,” the Chief Minister said as he lauded the organizers for providing the platform to keep the Garo culture and tradition alive and showcase it to the world.
Having witnessed firsthand the size of the crowds at the Wangala celebration, the Chief Minister suggested upon the organizers to take the festival to a bigger scale and identify a bigger platform in collaboration with local landowners “because the crowd gravitating to the venue for the festival is getting bigger.”
The Chief Minister also called for incorporating and organizing various events starting from Wangala season in November through December so as to enable the region to connect with the world and also showcase to the world the exclusive way of celebrating Christmas in Garo Hills.
He also highlighted the importance of indigenous food culture which is linked to nature and how it must be exploited for economic growth.
“The organizers need to give capacity building to the food stall owners to promote our diverse food culture with modern science and technology,” he said while emphasizing that “knowledge linked to our traditional food system should be well documented”.
Stating how militancy in the region was affecting its momentum of growth and development, he said, “We need to revive and uphold our traditional laws and values. Parents should inculcate in their children such values like respect for elders and regard for the law so that we can insulate our younger generations from negative forces”.
Earlier the Chief Minister also handed over a cheque of Rs.15 lakh from the State Tourism Department to the president of the Hundred Drums Wangala Organizing Committee, L. K. Marak, while the Committee presented a traditional Garo drum to him as a token of appreciation.
A day earlier, the new executive committee of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council had also contributed Rs 1 lakh to the committee for the festival.
It may be mentioned that the Hundred Drums Wangala dance witnesses 100 male drummers and equal number of female dancers led by their respective chieftains accompanied by the sound of gongs, horns, flutes, etc.
This year the notable absence was the Wangala troupe from neighbouring Bangladesh which could not make it for various reasons.
