SIRISH Festival 2015
February 7th and 8th, Hathikuli Estate
To acknowledge the contribution of the Tea Tribes in Assam, Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. Foundation organized the first Sirish Festival. Sirish, a Sanskrit work, which means soul of the body, was held at Hathikuli Tea Estate located in the periphery of Kaziranga National Park on February 7th and 8th, 2015. The festival was held to promote and preserve the culture and heritage of the tea communities & to showcase their traditional dance forms, sports, art & literature.
At the event, sporting activities like archery competition, pole climbing, kabaddi etc were held. The cultural celebration was marked by a folk dance competition & musical performances by artists like Manas Robin, Sajan Nayak and others. An award ceremony followed where eminent figures from the tea community were recognized for their outstanding contributions.
Here’s a brief overview of all that happened at Sirish:
Archery
An archery competition was held among the competitors representing all the estates of Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. on 7th Feb, 2015 and 8th Feb, 2015 at the sports venue. Competition was conducted by Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials and standard bows and arrows were used. The Best Archer award was achieved by Arjun Singh Bhumij from Hathikuli T.E and the runners-up by Mangal Karmakar from Kakajan T.E. The winners were awarded on 8th Feb, 2015 in presence of various dignitaries and a sizable audience at the cultural venue.
Pole-Climbing
A pole-climbing competition was held among the competitors representing all the estates of Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. on 7th Feb, 2015 and 8th Feb, 2015 at the sports venue. Competition was conducted by Sports Authority of India(SAI) officials and standard equipment was used. The winner award was achieved by Anod Karmakar from Hathikuli T.E and the runners-up by, Ashok Lohar from Hathikuli T.E. The winners were awarded on 8th Feb, 2015 in the presence of various dignitaries and a sizable audience at the cultural venue.
Folk-Dance
A folk-dance competition where teams from all the estates of Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. exhibited various forms of folk dance from the Tea Community was held on 7th Feb, 2015 and 8th Feb, 2015 at the cultural venue. The competition was judged by an eminent jury of panelists from the cultural realm of the Tea Community. A colorful and vibrant event, it showcased the unique cultural heritage of the Tea Community. The competition culminated with Team Hathikuli being adjudged the Best Team followed by Nahorkutia Team as runners-up. The teams were awarded on 8th Feb, 2015 in presence of various dignitaries and a large audience at the cultural venue.
Icon Awards
The high point of the festival was recognition and honouring of Two Icons from the community, one each from the fields of Literature and Culture who were seen to have significantly contributed to their respective fields. In the field of Literature, MsPadumi Gazloo, an eminent writer was chosen by the Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. Foundation as the Literary Icon for Sirish 2015.In the field of culture, Mr Sajan Nayak, an eminently popular singer and composer from the community was chosen as Cultural Icon for Sirish 2015. The recognition comprised of a citation and a cheque of Rs One Lac and was presented in the presence of variousdignitaries from Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd., Govt of Assam Including Hon’ble Minister of Forest and Environment Mr. Etuwa Munda, Mr. Preetam Saikia IAS Commissioner Cultural Affairs and other eminent personalities from all walks of life.
Cultural Evenings
There were cultural shows on both the evenings of 7th & 8th February, when large audiences were treated to the performances by eminent and popular artists notably Mr. Manas Robin, Mr. Sajan Nayak and Mr. Subil Barg. This turned out to be a major attraction and was thoroughly enjoyed by all present. The cultural evening was also graced by the local MLA Shri Arun Phukan.
