Bihu: the agricultural festival of Assam

An important academic volume “Bihu: The Agricultural Festival of Assam”, prepared under the aegis of the North East Zone of ICOMOS India and edited by me was launched on June 29 at the Annual General Meeting of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), India. The volume, containing 25 articles was unveiled by Dr Rima Hooja, President of ICOMOS India. She commended the extraordinary intellectual and field-based contributions of the authors in this path-breaking academic work. Leading cultural experts of India, GSVSN Murthy, Bikramjit Chakraborty, and Madhu Vottery spoke in the meeting. I offered a concise overview of the book’s structure and themes.

This volume ‘Bihu: The Agricultural Festival of Assam’ is more than a documentation of a festival—it is a testament to rigorous scholarship, community-rooted research, and the unwavering commitment of heritage professionals. Conceived, initiated, and brought to fruition by Dilip Changkakoty, Zonal Representative of the North East Zone of ICOMOS India, the work reflects years of solitary academic labour and visionary cultural stewardship. The scholarly journey began in 2020, with the North East Zone organizing the first-ever webinar on Bihu—a pioneering step toward bringing Assam’s intangible cultural heritage into mainstream academic discourse. This was followed in 2021 by an international essay competition, attracting researchers and cultural practitioners from across the globe.

The book ‘Bihu: The Agricultural Festival of Assam’ draws from field research, ethnography, oral histories, and socio-economic analyses, documenting the many dimensions of Bihu—from urban celebrations to rural rituals. The research team led by Dilip Changkakoty interacted with a broad cross-section of Bihu’s custodians: committee leaders, artisans, performers, weavers, food vendors, and cultural officials. A notable feature of the research is its attention to the Sattriya tradition, highlighting the subtle confluences between Bihu and Sattra culture. The study is further enriched by media analysis, historical documentation, and digital ethnography—capturing transformations and continuities in Bihu practices across age groups, geographies, and social strata. Economic aspect of Bihu is also covered in the book with ground level data. I wrote that article.

The book features detailed discussions from international experts supporting Bihu’s inclusion in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritages. Contributors of the book includes heritage experts like Dr Rima Hooja, Munish Pandit, Dr Mrinalini Atrey, Dr Shelley Anne Peleg, Madhu Vottery, Dilip Changkakoty, Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, Bihu experts like Dinesh Gogoi, Dr Pradip Neog, artiste like Mridu Moucham Bora, scholars like Dr Buljit Buragohain, Monali Kakoty etc.  “Bihu: The Agricultural Festival of Assam” is an invitation to the world to engage with the living heritage of Assam. In its pages, the spirit of participatory knowledge, rigorous inquiry, and ethical cultural documentation lives on. It is expected that this volume will enlighten people across the globe about the beautiful Bihu festival of Assam. It has been published by Purbayon Publication of Dr Amrit Kumar Upadhyay. 

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