Guwahati, Jan 15: President Droupadi Murmu will grace the golden jubilee celebrations of the Karbi Youth Festival at Taralangso near the Karbi Anglong district headquarters of Diphu on January 17.
The President’s visit to Assam will commence after a two-day visit to Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, President Murmu landed at LGBI Airport here on Monday afternoon en route to Tura for the inauguration of the 5th Meghalaya Games.
The President was received at the airport here by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Sarma had last month met President Murmu and extended an invitation to the festival.
The chief minister had emphasised that the Karbi Youth Festival held great significance as it symbolised the celebration of Assam’s ancient indigenous culture.
The Karbi Anglong district administration has declared the entire premises of Karbi People’s Hall, which is the venue of the festival at Taralangso, about 7 km from Diphu, as a “no drone flying zone” on Wednesday in view of the President’s visit.
The Karbi Youth Festival is the oldest and biggest ethnic festival of Northeast India, celebrated primarily by the Karbi and other ethnic communities inhabiting the areas administered by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).
In order to mark the golden jubilee of the festival in a befitting manner, the organisers have extended the duration of the annual event from the usual five days to eight days.
The festival, which began on January 13, aims to showcase the vibrant culture and heritage of the Karbi community.
The inaugural programme started with ‘Rongketong’, a cultural procession from Karbi Club in Diphu, where the first Karbi Youth Festival was held in 1974.
It may be recalled that the Karbi Cultural Society had taken the onus of officially organising the festival since 1977.
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