Jhumoir enthralls thousands at Sarusajai, performers aspire for international recognition

Guwahati, Feb 25: The city wore a festival look as people across the State thronged the Sarusajai Sports Complex to witness the biggest jhumoir ensemble performed to mark 200 years of the Assam tea industry.

Just a day before the inauguration of the Advantage Assam 2.0, long queues of people stood outside the Sarusajai Sports Complex to witness the mega event. Many reached Guwahati this morning after travelling long distances, particularly from tea garden areas of Upper Assam, to watch their friends and relatives perform.

"I am from Jorhat and we have been enjoying jhumoir since childhood. But, we have never seen a mega jhumoir performance. The excellent dance form has been confined inside the boundaries of tea gardens. Through this show, it will get a new mileage," said Amrit Pritam Dutta, the sound director for the show. A 21-member team from Mumbai led by Dutta and Debajit Changmai, has made sound arrangement for the show.

"Today, people from across the globe will learn about jhumoir. It is a great exposure for the tea tribe community. Most importantly, the show has been organized in a very disciplined manner. The presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also give wide publicity to the event," Dutta said.

He further observed that the presence of the Head of Mission from 61 countries will help a lot to promote the dance form across the globe.

"I am associated with the cultural troupe of my tea garden since childhood. It is a great day for me. Our jhumoir will get a new space and exposure in the international platform. It will further accelerate the development of the tea tribe community," Kailash Tanti, a performer from Udalguri told The Assam Tribune. Tanti also noted that they never imagined that the jhumoir dance can also be performed in such a grand way. "We are really grateful to the State government, particularly Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, for organizing such a big event," he stated.

"It is a great moment for us. A team of 60 dancers from my locality have taken part in the event. We came to inspire them, so that they can perform in a grand way," said Nagesh Sobor, who reached from Doomdooma this morning.

Mina Kujur from Jorhat shared her feelings, "The jhumoir dance is very close to our hearts. We feel privileged to perform the dance form in such a grand way. I like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for giving us such a scope."

She noted that the show will attract tourists from across the globe to the tea gardens of Assam. "I believe the show will also pave the way for jhumoir to get space in Bollywood films," Mina said.

By Manash Pratim Dutta