Assam - The Gateway Of North-East

Assam In Assamese: অসম Ôxôm [ɔxɔm], Hindi: आसाम, and also Hindi: असम) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur located in the city of Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys along with the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,438 km²). Assam is surrounded by six of the other Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya.

It is known for Assam tea, large and old petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity. Assam has successfully conserved the one-horned Indian rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the tiger and numerous species of birds, and it provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant. It is becoming an increasingly popular destination for wildlife tourism, and Kaziranga and Manas are both World Heritage Sites.Assam was also known for its Sal tree forests and forest products, much depleted now. A land of high rainfall, Assam is endowed with lush greenery and the mighty river Brahmaputra, whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a unique hydro-geomorphic and aesthetic environment.

Official Website of Govt of Assam:

http://www.assamgovt.nic.in/

Education - Assam

IIT Guwahati , One of The Best Technical Institute of India.

In terms of education, Assam has developed into a top educational destination at the state as well as at the national level. To enhance the status of Assam education, the state government has introduced many innovative education polices. It’s capital city; Guwahati is a key destination for higher education for students of the whole of north-eastern region.

Cotton College in Guwahati initiated modern tertiary education and research in Assam and has been continuing classical and high-educational standards for more than hundred years; many of the buildings in the college are excellent examples of Assamese architecture with colonial flavours.

Assam has several institutions for tertiary education and research. The major institutions are:

• Gauhati University, Guwahati
• Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
• Assam University, Silchar
• Tezpur University, Tezpur
• Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat
• Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
• National Institute of Technology, Silchar
• Assam Engineering College, Guwahati
• Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat
• Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat
• Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati
• Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh
• Silchar Medical College, Silchar

Festivals of Assam

Bihu Dance of Assam

Assam,the beautiful state celebrates Bihu as major festival.Bihu is directly associated with Agriculture. There are three Bihu festivals in year namely - Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu, Bhogali (Magh Bihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar.

Primarily a non-religious festival celebrated to mark the seasons and the significant points of a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle. Three Bihus, rongali or bohag, celebrated with the coming of spring and the beginning of the sowing season; kongali or kati, the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty; and the bhogali or magh, the thanksgiving when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full.

Kapou Phool

 

THE MOST colourful, national spring festival of Assam is Rongali Bihu. Celebrated from April 13 to 16 every year, it is linked to the start of the next agricultural season. Bihu, a unique dance form, is performed in accompaniment of songs of love and passion.


Rongali Bihu derives its name from Sanskrit Vishuvam meaning vernal equinox when day and night is of equal duration. At the time of Rongali Bihu people welcome the spring season and pray for a bountiful and rich harvest.



Rongali Bihu Traditions and Customs:

To celebrate the joyous Rongali Bihu festuival, people of Assam wear new and colourful clothes. People visit their neighbors, friends and relatives and distribute sweet as they greet each other a Happy Bihu. Many people also organize grand feasts in the house to celebrate the occasion. Traditional festive food of Bohag Bihu is the special cake known as the pitha.

Colouful rituals mark the first day of Rongali Bihu celebrated as Garu Bihu. This day is dedicated to the cattle and livestock. The rest of the weeklong celebrations of Bohag Bihu are known as Manuh Bihu. A mood of festivity and gaiety is seen throughout Assam during the seven days of Rongali Bihu.

Rongali Bihu Celebrations:

Another form Of  Traditional Assamese Bihu Dance

Rongali Bihu celebrations are quite colourful and vibrant. Marking the occasion young boys and girls in village don traditional dhoti, gamosa and saadar mekhela and sing Bihugeets or folk Bihu songs in traditional bihutolis or Mukoli Bihus. The accompanied orchestra of dhol, pépa (buffalo hornpipe) and gagana add joys to the celebrations. At several places Bihu fairs are also organized where people participate in the games and other fun-filled activities.