TURA: The people living in the remote areas along the Indo-Bangladesh border in South West Garo Hills got the opportunity to witness the folk dances from various parts of country during the two day Border Area Programme organized by North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Union Ministry of Culture, at Boldamgre and Kata Beel, Norgorpara on November 15 and 16th.
As part of the two-day programme, NEZCC in collaboration with Department of Arts & Culture, Govt of Meghalaya, showcased the different dance forms including Pong Cholom, Tang-Ta and Cheirol Jagoi from Manipur, Cheraw or bamboo dance from Mizoram, Pai Danda from Uttar Pradesh and Santhali dance from West Bengal. Local troupes from the area including the Garo, Hajong and Koch cultural troupes also performed alongside the visiting artistes at Boldamgre and Nogorpara.
South West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ramkumar S, participated in the programme as the chief guest on the first day at Boldamgre, while the Asstt Commandant, BSF, Sujit Kr. Paul graced the occasion at Nogorpara.
Deputy Commissioner said that though the programme is a modest one it was of particular importance for the people of border villages where cultural exchange is minimal. The idea of such cultural programmes is that all people across boundaries get the chance to see and learn other cultures and in the process directly engage in the first hand cultural exchange, he said.
“I strongly believe that these activities will encourage the youth of the region to form their own cultural organizations in order to promote and preserve their cultural identities.
It is worth mentioning that NEZCC with its head office at Dimapur, Nagaland was established in 1987 under Ministry of Culture, Govt of India to promote and preserve the dying art forms of the North East Region. It organizes festivals, workshops and documentations on various folk arts, etc to promote the rich culture of the region. Towards this end, NEZCC organizes various programmes like Discover North East, Border Area Programme, Women’s Programme, Umang programme for differently abled, painting workshops, writers’ meet, theatre rejuvenation programme and tribal festivals from time to time within the North East Zone. It also facilitates participation of folk dancers from North East in festivals organized by other zonal centres across the country and abroad.