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, 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 colorful and centered round the red color theme, signifying joy and vigour. It is a festival of joy and happiness.
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand.
Bhupen Hazarika BR was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor, filmmaker and politician from Assam, widely known as Sudha Kontho. His songs were written and sung mainly in the Assamese language by himself, are marked by humanity and universal brotherhood and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notably in Bengali and Hindi.
Goalpariya is a group of Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in the Goalpara region of Assam, India. Along with Kamrupi, they form the western group of Assamese dialects. The North Bengali dialect is situated to its west, amidst a number of Tibeto-Burman speech communities. The basic characteristic of the Goalpariya is that it is a composite one into which words of different concerns and regions have been amalgamated. Deshi people speak this language and there are around 20 lakhs people.
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.
Jayanta Hazarika was an Indian singer and composer associated with Assamese music. He wrote lyrics for a few songs and composed music for several movies. He was the younger brother of Bhupen Hazarika.
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.
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.
Rameshwar Pathak was an acclaimed Kamrupi Lokgeet singer from Kamrup, Assam, India. He also worked as a teacher in Arya Vidyapeeth Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School, Guwahati from 1963 to 1996.
Angaraag Mahanta, known by his stagename Papon, is an Indian playback singer and composer from Assam. Papon has also sung in many languages apart from Assamese like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Marathi. He is the lead vocalist and founder of the folk-fusion band Papon and The East India Company. He is the son of the noted Assamese singer Khagen Mahanta.
Jim Ankan Deka is an Indian musician, documentary film maker, photographer and director of Bangalore based organisation and music school Eastern Fare Music Foundation. He is the first person from Assam to open a music institute and a production house in Bangalore, India. He won multiple awards for his song Aawaz - speak up against sexual violence based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape incident.
Axl Hazarika is an Indian avant-garde musician and film-maker. Hazarika, hailing from Guwahati, Assam, is a pioneer of electronica/industrial/avant-garde music in Northeast India.
Kalpana Patowary is an Indian playback and folk singer from Assam. She sings in 30 languages and has many folk and popular songs to her credit, while Bhojpuri music has been her most dedicated foray. In his book, Cinema Bhojpuri, Avijit Ghosh lauds Patowary for her "remarkable contribution" to Bhojpuri film music. "Gifted with a rich, powerful and sensuous voice, the singer from Assam is almost considered mandatory for any film's score," she writes.
Anima Choudhury is a singer from the Indian north eastern state of Assam. Her musical career over more than four decades has focussed on folk and modern Assamese songs. She has been awarded local and state level musical and cultural recognitions and titles including. "Luit Kuwari", and "Jan Dimali". Some of her most popular songs are 'Dikhou noir parore', 'Log diyar kotha asil' and 'E pran gopal'.
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.
Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya was an Indian folk singer and researcher. He was born and raised in Silchar, Assam. He went on to study comparative literature at Jadavpur University. His musical inspiration was his uncle Ananta Bhattacharya. In 1999, he co-founded the band Dohar with the intent to revive the folk music tradition of Northern and Eastern Bengal. He also contributed music to a number of movies. His last movie was Bhuban Majhi (2017). He was associated with the popular Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, a renowned Bengali music reality show. His last concert was in the Baguihati Krishi Mela.
Rajdweep is an Indian screenwriter, playwright, lyricist and journalist hails from Dhing, Nagaon, Assam. He has been awarded by Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan for his script 'Ishqlogy' at Cinestaan India's Storyteller's Script Contest in 2018. He is the first lyricist from Assam who writes Assamese songs in Bollywood film. He wrote the songs 'Jiri Jiri' for the film A Death In The Gunj and the bihu song for the film Jagga Jasoos. Again, he becomes the first screenwriter from Assam who signed a Bollywood film. He signed the film on 21 October 2019.
Dulal Manki is an Indian Assamese folk artist and musician. He is one of the traditional folk music artists from Tea-garden community of Assam. In 2021, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his contribution on music.
