Koch-Rajbongshi
A participant of the seven-day summer workshop on Koch-Rajbongshi traditional cultural folk dance, songs, instrumental music. Image - Northeast Now

The Kokrajhar town committee of the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) and the Kokrajhar-based Nabo Diganto NGO successfully conducted a seven-day summer workshop on Koch-Rajbongshi traditional cultural folk dance, songs, instrumental music of the community.

The summer workshop was held from July 1 to July 7 at the Asom Sahitya Sabha Bhavan Hall in Kokrajhar.

The main objective of conducting the workshop was to promote the Koch-Rajbongsi traditional cultural folk dance and songs and create awareness among the school-going students in this regard.

Over hundred school students from Chirang, Basugaon, Dhubri and Kokrajhar, Choraikola, Chandrapara, Sakti Ashram, Salakati and Photgaon participated in the summer workshop where four experts taught the participating different forms of Koch-Rajbongshi dances and songs.

Koch-Rajbongshi
Participants of the seven-day summer workshop on Koch-Rajbongshi traditional cultural folk dance, songs, instrumental music. Image – Northeast Now
Participants of the seven-day summer workshop on Koch-Rajbongshi traditional cultural folk dance, songs, instrumental music. Image – Northeast Now

Nijora Sarma, president of the Nabo Diganto NGO said, “Nabo Diganto NGO in collaboration with the AKRSU organised the summer workshop on Koch-Rajbongshi traditional folk dances, songs and instrumental music of the community at Kokrajhar town where around hundred school-going students, both girls and boys, participated.”

She said, “Many of the students don’t know about our culture, traditional songs and dances. Now, students are more interested in performing Hindi songs, dance and follow western culture.”

Simanta Narayan Ray, cultural secretary of the Kokrajhar Town committee of the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union said, “We have taken initiative to provide basic knowledge, awareness to the school students about the Koch-Rajbongshis’ traditional cultural folk dances, songs and instrumental music of the community and the workshop was organized with that aim.”

Ray also added, “This is the right time to teach students regarding their own tradition and culture. The students should be taught about their own culture and tradition in their childhood because nowadays many of the students do not know about our own cultural songs and dances. It was an initiative to preserve our Koch-Rajbongshi culture, which is going to disappear from the young generations.”

Rinoy Basumatary is Northeast Now Correspondent in Kokrajhar. He can be reached at: [email protected]