Bihu to be taught in Assam schools, colleges at HS level

GUWAHATI: Assam's biggest festival, Bihu, which is a symbol of harmony, is set to be included in the academic curriculum of senior secondary classes from the 2020 academic session.
To infuse Bihu culture in the mind and soul of young students, the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) has roped in Bihu exponents and experts to streamline the course content. With changing times, many experts have sensed the 'threat' posed by western culture to the originality of Bihu dance and songs that unarguably remain popular across generations in the Brahmaputra Valley. Bihu will be introduced as an elective subject in Classes 11 in the state's schools and colleges.
AHSEC chairman Dayananda Borgohain told TOI that their prime thrust is to preserve the originality of Bihu that has gone through a momentous change with the passage of time. "Bihu is the only festival that can unite people, irrespective of their religion, caste or creed. It's a vital characteristic of the vibrant culture revolving around the Bihu festivity. But off late, there has been a lot of concern over distortions in Bihu celebrations and the accusing finger is pointed towards the youth. That's why we have decided to introduce Bihu in the academic curriculum," said Borgohain.
Roadmap for Bihu paper
On Friday, an extensive meeting was held between Bihu and folk culture experts at the board's office here and a roadmap was drawn for framing the syllabus. Borgohain added that a 100 marks paper on the subject will be introduced and 70 marks will be attributed to theory. The rest of the marks are for practicals.
While differences over some grammatical aspects pertaining to Bihu dance and music has remained a matter of contention even between the experts, Borgohain said the prime thrust has been given on streamlining Bihu dance, songs and instrumentation right from the academic sphere. "How the Bihu dance is performed correctly? How the Bihu dhol and other related instruments are played? We want to reach a conclusion so that our students can learn the right way to celebrate their very own festival," he added.