Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 (30,285 sq mi). The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Boro are the official languages of Assam, while Bengali is an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley.
Bihu is a set of three important cultural festivals unique to the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October or November, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The festivals present an admixture of Tibeto-Burman, Austroasiatic and Indo-Aryan traditions entwined so intricately that it is impossible to separate them—festivals which are uniquely Assamese to which all communities of Assam had contributed elements. The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and is an animistic festival.
The Bihu dance is an indigenous folk dance from the Indian state of Assam related to the Bihu festival and an important part of Assamese culture. Performed in a group, the Bihu dancers are usually young men and women, and the dancing style is characterized by brisk steps and rapid hand movements. The traditional costume of dancers is centered around the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour.
Zubeen Garg is an Indian singer, songwriter, composer, lyricist, music director, music producer, actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, poet and philanthropist. He primarily works for and sings in the Assamese, Bengali and Hindi-language film and music industries, but has sung in many other languages and dialects, including Bishnupriya Manipuri, Boro, English, Goalpariya, Kannada, Karbi, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi, Mising, Nepali, Odia, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Tiwa. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and plays 12 instruments including anandalahari, dhol, dotara, drums, guitar, harmonica, harmonium, mandolin, keyboard, tabla and various percussion instruments. He is Assam's highest-paid singer.
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history.
Khagen Mahanta was a singer and composer of folk and traditional music of Assam. Khagen Mahanta was a notable person in Assamese folk music and known as the "King of Bihu". His Bihu songs, Borgeet and other folk songs remain popular in Assam. The artist, along with his wife Archana Mahanta and son Angaraag Mahanta who is known as Papon, represent one of the most influential families in Assamese music. He died on 12 June 2014.
Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu also called Xaat Bihu is a traditional ethnic festival celebrated in the Northeastern Indian state of Assam and other parts of Northeastern India by the indigenous ethnic groups of Assam, and marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year. The festival is of mostly aboriginal origin comprising Tibeto-Burman and Tai elements. It usually falls in the 2nd week of April, historically signifying the time of harvest. Every year it falls on the 14th day of April. The holiday unites the different native communities of Assam regardless of their backgrounds and promotes the celebration of ethnic diversity.
Jatin Bora is an Indian actor and director who has appeared in Assamese language films since 1989. He is also an actor and director in some mobile theatre groups of Assam, including Aabahan, Hengool, Ashirbaad, Bhagyadevi, Kohinoor, Itihas and Surjya.
Ajan Faquir Saheb is an Assamese language biographical film produced by Bani Kalita and directed by Asif Iqbal Hussain. The film was released on 25 April 2008. The film is based on the life of Ajan Fakir, the Sufi saint and poet who came to Assam from Baghdad.
Joi Barua is an Indian singer and music composer. Born in Digboi, Assam, he started his career by singing advertising jingles and later did playback singing for Hindi, Assamese and Telugu films. He is also the lead vocalist of the band Joi. Barua has a mixed musical style incorporating elements of rock, soul, jazz, folk and world music.
Folk dances of Assam include the Bihu and the Bagurumba, the Bhortal, the Ojapali dance. Assam is home to many groups: Muslim, Indo-Aryan, Rabha, Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, Mising, Sonowal Kacharis, Mishmi and Tiwa (Lalung) etc. These cultures come together to create an Assamese culture. Residents of the state of Assam are known as "Axomiya" (Assamese). Most tribes have their own language, although Assamese is the primary language of the state.
Beauty Sharma Barua is a singer from Assam, India. She is one of the best-known and most respected Assamese folk music, Indian classical music, ghazal and bhajan singers of Assam. More popularly known as The Melody Queen of Assam and Beauty Baideu, she has recorded over a thousand songs for All India Radio, Doordarshan, albums and others. She has sung songs in over six regional Indian languages, though primarily in Assamese and Hindi. Beauty Barua married renowned writer and lyricist Dwijendra Mohan Sharma (1948–2006), called the Man with Melody in His Pen by The Daily Telegraph, in 1976.
Barsha Rani Bishaya is an Indian actress who works in Assamese cinema. She has acted in commercial and critically acclaimed films like Bidhata, Tumi Aahibaane, Ratnakar, etc. Bishaya is also part of mobile theatre groups of Assam. Apart from acting, she is also a Bihu dancer in Assam. She has also acted in many popular VCD films, hosted TV shows and also acted in television series and telefilms.
Keshab Ram Borah Higher Secondary School is an educational institute in the middle part of Majuli, Jorhat, Assam, India. It has both the high and Middle English section. Both the Keshab Ram Borah Higher Secondary School and Gereki Janajati Middle English School are situated in the same campus with a single school building.
Mayukh Hazarika is an Indian playback singer and music director from Assam. He is the frontman of Delhi based band Mayukh Hazarika and the Brahmaputra Balladeers. He is the son of legendary Assamese musician duo Jayanta Hazarika and Manisha Hazarika and nephew of Dr Bhupen Hazarika.
Padmanav Bordoloi is an Indian singer, performer, songwriter, music composer and anchor from the state of Assam. He has sung many songs in Assamese, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Marathi and English. He was nominated for Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) Award 2016 for the Best Music Debut Non-Film segment for his first ever Hindi composition Teri Jo Baatein Hain. Padmanav is the second male singer from Assam to be nominated for this coveted title after Angaraag Papon Mahanta.
Othello is a 2014 Indian Assamese language drama film directed by Hemanta Kumar Das and produced by Manabendra Adhikary under the banner of Artha Films. the film features Jupitora Bhuyan and Arup Baishya in lead roles.
Tumi Aahibaane is a 2017 Indian Assamese language musical romance film directed by Prerana Barbarooah and jointly produced by Bibi Devi Barbarooah & ASFFDC under the banner of Prerana Creations. The film stars Ravi Sarma and Barsha Rani Bishaya in lead role and Gunjan Bhardwaj and Moonmi Phukan in Supporting role.
Karma Ke Rati is a 2013 Assamese-Sadri film by Jayanta Nath on Tea-garden community of Assam. The movie evolves around an incident happened in the annual Karam (festival) celebrated by the Tea-garden community of Assam.
Wide Angle is an upcoming Assamese language film directed by Jayanta Nath and produced by Debajyoti Bora under the banner of Swavalamban Media and Entertainment. The story is based on Noted Assamese author Dr Nagen Saikia's story "Staff Photographeror Sobi" which evolves around a photographer from the times of Assam movement.
