Beats of 120 Wangala drums mark Ahoma Festival at Tikrikilla

TURA: Ahoma, the annual 120 Drums Wangala Festival was held at Tikrikilla on Saturday amid cultural fanfare. Wangala troupes from the area and across Garo Hills participated in the event.
It may be mentioned that Ahoma is a song of fun and merriment sung by young men and women during the Wangala festivities.
The festival was organized by the Hundred Drums Wangala Society of Tikrikilla with the support of Department of Arts and Culture with an aim to preserve and promote traditional and cultural practices and identity.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was the chief guest on the occasion, while Parliamentary Secretaries, Limison D. Sangma and Michael T. Sangma were guests of honour. Director, Art & Culture, M. War Nongbri was also present.
In his address, the Chief Minister congratulated the Society for its efforts to keep alive the rich tradition and cultural heritage of the indigenous people in the area and urged them to take the festival to a grander scale by incorporating various events culminating with Wangala to make it more exclusive.
He said that the songs and dances of the Khasis, Jaintias, Garos and all other indigenous communities of the State depict “our way of life and culture”, even as he stressed on the need to diversify and create an exclusive product befitting “our culture and tradition through such festivals in order to attract visitors and tourists”.
“We need to organize such events to engage our young boys and girls positively during the holidays after exams  which will not only help our youths connect to their roots but also enable them to unleash their talents,” the Chief Minister added.
Earlier, the president of Tikrikilla 100 Drums Wangala Society, Walseng N. Sangma welcomed the dignitaries and the participants and also briefly highlighted the background of the festival.