Part 4 - Significance and Importance of the Study

The Nepalese inhabiting in the undivided Sonitpur District of Assam observe different festivals in different times of the year with their own rituals. They are very rich in folklore.

Their different festivals are Dosai, Teez, Tihar, Thuliakadasi, Baisakhe Purnima, Asadhe Pandhra, Sansari puja, Guru purnima, Rishi torponi, Kuseousi, Sostholibrata etc. Besides these life cycle ceremonies there are some ceremonies related to birth, marriage and death. They have been observing those festivals as well ceremonies traditionally. Celebration of those rituals and festivals reflect the socioeconomic, cultural and religious side of the district. Generally, it is seen that majority of the people participate in the festivals and ceremonies which makes it grand in society. The festivals attract the people through performances of social activities. These festivals which are celebrated traditionally are associated with various elements of oral tradition and material culture such as rituals, songs and dance, music, food, dresses, etc. The importance of these aspects in folklore remains incomplete if we do not study the festivals and ceremonies of a community. From that point of view, there is great importance to study the festivals and ceremonies of the Nepali community.

It is seen that the festivals and ceremonies of the Nepalese are not yet studied systematically and for this reason most of the festivals are gradually fading away from practice becoming unpreserved and lost. Under the impact and progress of science and technology, the importance and values of festivals and ceremonies are decreasing day by day. Moreover, due to some natural changes and calamities, the festivals are not observed on their respective time of the year or season. So, it is very essential to collect all the data of folklore before they get lost with time. Already, some discussions on festivals of Nepalese have been published in newspapers, journals, mazagines as well as in periodicals. But, these are not sufficient. There are a lot more possibilities of study and research in the various aspects of Nepali folklore like proverbs, baramahi songs, social folk-customs, cultural assimilation with the Assamese, their historical migration, the literature of the Nepalese. Likewise, it is essential to study the festivals of the Nepalese in Assam who stands as a unique ethnic group in Assam. Hope, this study will contribute to preserve the social and cultural unity of Assam.

Some special characteristics of Nepalese of Sonitpur district:

Sonitpur is a historically important place. According to the census report (2011), the highest concentration of Nepalese in Assam are in Sonitpur district as mentioned earlier. This is a place where most of the Nepali educated people were born and brought up, like-Dr. Hem Chandra Gautam, Dr. Lakshmi Prasad Parajuli, Dr. Lakhi Boral, Dr. Som Nath Upadhyaya, Dr. Khemraj Nepal, Dr. Jadav Sarma, Dr. Geeta Upadhyaya, Dr. Indu Prabha Devi and many others.

Most of the Nepali freedom fighters during Freedom movement of India were from Sonitpur district: Mr. Chabilal Upadhyaya a prominent Nepali leader hailing from Behali in Sonitpur district of Assam; Mr. Hari Prasad Upadhyaya was another freedom fighter who hailed from Sonitpur.

Similarly, the Nepalis of Sonitpur also contributed to Indian politics. Mr. Tanka Bahadur Rai was an Indian National Congress political from the state of Assam. He was a Member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Congress for the place Barchalla. He was the Deputy Speaker and then Speaker of Assam. Again, another politician was Mr. Moni Kumar Subba. He was a member of the 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th Lok sabha of India from 1998 to 2009. He represented the Tezpur constituency of Assam and was a member of the Indian National Congress political party.