BOGOLAMARI (Goalpara), Jan 29 ? This tiny village, home to barely 2000 people, has suddenly woken up to a new beginning. Till the other day, the people here, almost all tribals, were eking out a living from the fields that yielded just enough to sustain them. Today, they plan to open their doors to tourists from India and abroad who seek the unique. The villagers believe that tourists will bring with them the much needed money to give a push to the local economy.
Bogolamari is 120 km from Guwahati, near Dudhnoi, in Goalpara district. Its population comprises the Bodos, Rabhas, Garos and Rajbongshi tribals. This composite culture has given the place its unique character. Agriculture is the main occupation of the villagers here who cultivate paddy and betelnut. The village was designated a ?model village? in 1997 but real development is still quite far away. Till date there is not even a proper road to connect the village to National Highway-37, a couple of kilometres away.
That notwithstanding, the village is a treasure trove of tribal culture and ethnic tradition which can be sheer delight for tourists and connoisseurs or researchers of folk culture. Less than half-a-kilometre away from here is the famed Aurangbad beel (lake), a natural reservoir created by the last great earthquake in the region. Several historical events and myths are connected to this. Villagers respect the beel as a deity and perform rituals on its banks regularly.
It is in acknowledgment of all this that the Assam Apex Tourism Development Co-operative Society Ltd (TOURFED) has selected Bogolamari as a tourist village for future promotion. On the occasion of National Tourism Day on January 25, the regional director of India Tourism, SL Khyriem, formally brought the village into the tourist map. TOURFED will now offer tourists the opportunity to visit this unique village.
Almost all the villagers here actively participated in the inauguration programme that also featured an exhibition of various tribal handlooms, weaving, pottery making, handicraft, wood craft, ethnic food and drink, archaeological relics, musical instruments, masks, costumes and even weapons of war. The masks on display were used in ?Bharegan?, a folk drama based on the Ramayana. Made of sal wood, some of these masks are more than a century old. Of similar antiquity are some of the weapons that are on display.
Visitors to the village can also see for themselves how villagers extract baking soda from banana trees using indigenous technology. Local paintings and implements are also on display. Many of the items have been put up for sale.
?Never feel shy of what you have,? said Khyriem while inaugurating the tourist village. ?They are wonderful,? he told the villagers while telling them how inflow of tourists could help in preserving and promoting indigenous culture and tradition. Amar Bora, the TOURFED chairman hoped that Bogolamari will be a tourist destination spot. He lauded the villagers for their united effort to welcome tourists.
The first day itself saw four American tourists getting overawed by the typicality of this hamlet. They were treated to a full hour of tribal dance and music and then served with ethnic lunch. Served on plantain barks, the delicious items bowled over the tourists. Also unique was the water that was served in bamboo containers. ?It was a totally new experience for us,? said Steven brothers from Kansas. ?There could not have been a better introduction to Assam,? said Sam Chapin of New York.