BOKO: The Rabha tribal community commemorated their traditional festival ‘Baikho’ along the Assam-Meghalaya border in Hahim, located approximately 14 kilometers south of Boko in the Kamrup district on Wednesday, featuring a series of daylong events. The annual vibrant festival, Baikho, is observed each year in various regions of Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal where the Rabha tribal population resides. Baikho Puja, or festival, typically takes place during the full moon of the English months of April-May and the Assamese month of Jeth. This agricultural festival involves the Rabha priestess invoking the deities for a bountiful harvest, relief from ailments, and the promotion of peace, unity, and prosperity within the community. The event was organized by the Hahim Regional units of the All Rabha Students Union (ARSU), All Rabha Women Council (ARWC), and the All Rabha Sixth Schedule Demand Committee.
Rohini Kumar Rabha, the Head Priest of the Baikho Puja, stated that the rituals commenced with the sacrifice of a pig and twelve cocks. Following this, all priests and local residents sought blessings from the deities. Rabha also highlighted the significance of Ghila Guti (African dream seeds) and Soko (rice beer), among other items, for the Baikho Puja and Festival. He remarked, “This is our traditional annual puja. During the Baikho Puja, we honor our thirteen gods and goddesses for a fruitful harvest, for the educational advancement of children, for the availability of water, for the health of the people, and to dispel evils and misfortune. Furthermore, we celebrate the puja annually for the holistic development of the Rabha tribal community. The names of the thirteen deities are Mama Sibu Damrang, Aya Sisurani, Aya Tamai, Aya Sampai, Aya Sasuri, Aya Daduri, Aya Rangbudi, Aya Rongmari, Aya Sayamari, Aya Khusri, Aya Nakati, Aya juju, and Bahubali Marukhetri.” During the festival, a felicitation program was conducted by all three regional organizations.
Organizations also honored ten students from the Rabha community who successfully completed the HSLC and HS examinations in the Hahim area. The event took place at the Hahim Library grounds, where leaders from the three regional units planted tree saplings in celebration of the Baikho festival. Attendees included Sonaram Rabha, Chairman of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, along with general members Sumit Rabha and Ajit Rabha, ARSU Vice-President Pradeep Rabha, Kamrup District ARSU President Ananda Rabha, Vice-President Namal Kumar Rabha, and other leaders from the three regional organizations. Rohini Kumar Rabha, the Head Priest of the Baikho Puja, mentioned that as part of the festivities, the traditional Rabha game of ‘lewa tana’ (tug-of-war) was organized among the priests and women from the area. Namal Kumar Rabha, Vice-President of the ARSU Kamrup District committee, highlighted, “Although the festival is celebrated for the overall development of the Rabha tribal community, members from other communities, including Boro, Gorkha, Garo, and Khasi people from Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district, also participate in the festival each year, demonstrating our coexistence in this region despite it being a border area between two states.” The ‘Barnakkai’ (fire-test) dance captivated the audience in the evening, marking the most exhilarating and final segment of the Baikho puja. Prior to the ‘Barnakkai’ dance performance, Rabha tribal priests applied a rice powder paste to their bodies. Subsequently, they created a fire using charcoal and performed the fire-test dance to fulfill their wishes by honoring the gods and goddesses. The priests also conducted a ritual for power known as ‘Killabhanga.’
