The Assamese community in Muscat has grown year by year and at present more than 35 families live in Oman. The community has been celebrating the Rongali Bihu for a long time and this year it was celebrated on 8th April with much enthusiasm and fun. An evening cultural program was organized by Axom Xamaj, Muscat at Sur Hall in the Holiday Inn at the heart of Muscat. The function started in the evening and continued till past midnight. About 150 people attended the function. The Assamese community in large numbers along with some Indian families and foreign guests also participated in the glittering evening.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the nightlong function. Most everyone took part in impromptu dancing. A sumptuous dinner was organized at the end of the function. There was lot of laughter, patriotic nostalgia, and fond memories.
The cultural function began with a poignant depiction of Bihu by Bipul Bhuyan who expressed the heartache felt by the Assamese people staying away from home in a faraway place and remembering home at the time of this joyous festival. The popular and talented singer Zubeen Garg was invited from India for the show. His beautiful wife Gorima also accompanied him. The children of the community performed various entertaining dances to the tune of Assamese and Hindi songs. The cultural program started with a dance to the tune of popular Assamese song “Moore Jiwanare Sakha Krishna —” performed by our talented kids below 10 years of age. The dance was choreographed by Neeta Baruah. A short skit called “Community Virus” was then presented by the children; it was written and directed by Mr. Phanijyoti Sarma- an engineer. The audience laughed throughout the skit and appreciated the acting of the children. Another dance was performed by our teenage children to the tune of a Bolywood song. The dance was choreographed by Mimi, a Class X student of Indian School, Muscat. She was ably supported by Neeta, Parveen, Poomani and Umi –the wives of engineers serving in different companies of Oman. Phani Sarma also choreographed in the Bihu dance participated by Rajnish, Naba, Phani, Sanjay, Pankaj, Binay, Ujjal, Padum, Sukanya, Poomani, Neeta, Sakuntala, Eema and Monti Bhuyan.
Zubeen enthralled the attending crowd with Assamese and Hindi songs including Bihu songs. Many in the crowd even took to dancing in front of the stage.
A spectacular fashion show was organized using the dresses brought by Zubeen’s wife Garima, a designer herself. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fashion show, which attracted participation by gents, ladies and children of the Assamese community. The program became an instant hit. The whole cultural program was MCed by Nandini Neog.
As the glittering function came to an end, people felt within them the togetherness of community love, enhanced by fond memories. The days of the rehearsals will be remembered as long days that brought a sense of close cohesion to the Assamese people. The food arranged during the meeting and rehearsal days were prepared by everyone as if all the people belong to the same extended family
Individuals such as Bipul Bhuyan, Ranjit Bhuyan, Mufti Alam Sagir, Raju Hazarika, Phanijyoti Sarma, Sanjay Barua, Rajnish Goswami, Binay Chetri, Naba Bhuyan, Pankaj Neog, Pearl Bezbaruah, Kaijar, Monti Bhuyan, Dipali Bhuyan, Neeta Barua, Umi, Parveen, Poomani, Sakuntala, Sukanya were instrumental in making this Overseas Bihu a grand success.
Rooplekha Kalita
Axom Xamaj, Muscat
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