New Delhi: The northeastern province of Arunachal Pradesh is home to numerous tribes, and each tribe has a unique way to celebrate through fairs and festivals.
Arunachal Pradesh has always been a source of inspiration for nature lovers and adventure seekers. The state possesses a marked heritage of tribal tourism.
Among the many, Adi tribe is an indigenous of the state and it boasts of a rich cultural heritage that makes it stand out from the rest.
Keeping its roots intact, the Adi community recently celebrated its Solung Giidi festival in New Delhi in the most grandeur manner.
Solung Giidi festival is one of the popular agricultural festivals of Arunachal Pradesh and it reflects the socio-religious features of the Adi tribe.
Speaking to ANI, Niyang Partin, Former General Secretary, ADISU, Delhi said “The main reason why we celebrate Solung is to thank Goddess Kine Nane to bring better crops in the future and to also thank for the prosperity and the crops that we have this time. The reason why we celebrate here in Delhi is to have a sense of solidarity and a sense of bond among the students and also among the Adi people residing here”.
“We celebrate it not just to integrate our people but also to integrate with other people so that they get to know about our culture. That cultural gap would be bridge through these festivals”, she added.
Solung has become a very good platform to showcase leadership skills, communication skills and to also bolster team spirit.
The festival started off on a grand note with a cultural troupe from Raing village of Arunachal Pradesh performing the Ponung folk dance that left the crowd spellbound.
Besides these, a group of young tribal girls clad in their traditional attires showcased the richness of the Adi tribe by performing different dance drama acts reflecting the essence of Solung Giidii.
The Solung Giidii Festival is celebrated in the first week of September, after sowing of the seeds, to seek prosperity and good harvest.
The celebration of the festivals has three main parts – Sopi—Yekpi (the first part and the sacrificial day), Binnayat (the second part, the ritual offering to the goddess of crops, Kine Nane) and Ekop (also called Taktor, the ritual made for protection against harms by evil spirits).
“During Adi community’s Solung festival we have a traditional dance forms performed for the village community by young girls who are unmarried. The girls hold hands and go around in groups and there is one male lead singer who chants hymns and verses which narrate the story of our forefather ancestor and how the Adi community came into being”, said a student of Delhi University.
Apart from the people of the northeast, the event saw a large number of people from different parts of the country thronging the capital city to witness the affluent culture of the Adi’s of Arunachal.
One of the major attractions of the event was the warm and kind gesture of the Adi people who welcomed the guests and the audiences by offering locally brewed rice wine, Apong, served in bamboo stems with a single leaf stuffed at the top to constrict the flow of alcohol.
The festival was graced by a minister of Delhi government, Alka Lamba, along with other dignitaries. A group of girls accorded a warm welcome to the host of dignitaries in their own traditional manner.
“I feel really good and happy that I got an opportunity to be a part of the Adi community in celebrating ‘Solung Giidii’. Although it’s not easy to reach out to Arunachal Pradesh but being able to be a part of their festival is in itself a celebration. As you could see that I am already clad in ‘Galle’, the traditional wear of the Adi tribe, so it gives me immense pleasure to be a part of it. This can be considered as the perfect exemple of unity in diversity”, Alka Lamba, told to ANI.
Festivals have been an essential part of India’s northeast region since time immemorial and organizing these festivities brings out the true spirit of the diverse and unique culture of the region.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]