- Luki Choudhury
The anticipation of arrival of Rongali Bihu was finally over when we celebrated Bihu in Sydney on 17th April’10 with great enthusiasm & fanfare. The thought of Rongali Bihu brings joy into Assamese people’s hearts, reminds us of the beautiful “kopou phul”. People from different parts of NSW came to celebrate Bihu & our culture. The cultural evening started with the opening chorus of “Shri moyee axomir”, followed by the welcome speech.The stage was beautifully decorated with a large map of Assam with drawings of Rhinoceros, Bihua- Bihuoti, xorai etc. and setting the mood for the Bihu cultural program.
The children’s dance to the tune of Rup Konwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s “Bonoria aami bonor sorai” stole everyone’s heart. The children from the age of 2 to 5 thoroughly enjoyed performing this item. Five kids (9 to 13 years old) took turns in presenting the entire night with full confidence. A young girl performed a Bollywood dance that she choreographed. The drama called “Lotkon” based on Lakshminath Bezbaruah’s story by kids was a big hit. This was the first time ever that the children performed an Assamese drama in Sydney. The Bihu dance performed by two girls was something to be talked about. One of the kids enthralled the audience with a violin recital as well.
The fusion dance by six ladies with Zubeen Garg’s song “tumi dusokute soku thole” was very eye catching. The combination of Indian classical dance form with modern dance form blended well to provide an entertaining piece. A Bollywood dance added variety to the night.
The melodious voices of many singers captivated the audience, asking for more. The singers went through the process of acquiring tracks for their choice of Assamese songs, in the process, supporting our artists in Assam. The tracks were delivered electronically. Some songs were performed with a live band. Zubeen Garg’s “Maya” sung by a Tamil man rocked the audience, bringing many to their feet for a dance.
The most awaited Husori performance was just out of this world. The group deserves to be congratulated for their commitment & dedication for putting up such a superb performance in spite of their busy work schedules, other social commitments and on top of that the short period of time to get the dance ready in time. The Bihu song was written specifically for the night. The mesmerizing skill of the dhulia, bihuas and bihuotis kept the audience under a spell. This was followed by Mukoli Bihu. Our skilful singers, a visiting parent’s pepa badon kept the audience on their feet for a long time. No one wanted the Mukoli Bihu to end. But unfortunately all good things come to an end and the evening was wrapped up by the vote of thanks.
Everyone enjoyed some snacks and a delicious dinner, complete with mouth watering deserts. Such a successful night was possible only because of people’s love for their culture and for Rongali Bihu. Everyone’s dedication to make the night successful was just amazing. We all can relax now with a great sense of satisfaction for a show well presented and enjoyed by all.
