The Garo people residing in the city yesterday celebrated their traditional Wangala festival amid singing, dancing and performing various traditional arts at Banani Biddyaniketon High School ground in the city.
The school playground wore a different look as it was vividly decorated while Garo people of all ages participated in the festival wearing colourful traditional dresses.
The Wangala festival is a traditional carnival for the Garo community to thank their Almighty Misi Saljong.
Thousands of years ago, the Garos believed that fruits and roots collected from the jungle were their main food, as they did not have seeds to grow plants. One day they prayed to their god for seeds and the next day they found two types of paddy. They preserved those and started cultivating on the hills.
After harvest, they used to thank their god first and then consumed the rice and celebrated the occasion. Wangala gradually became their major annual festival.
Former president HM Ershad joined the inaugural session of the daylong function as the chief guest while Garo leaders presented their demands before him and urged him to press government high-ups to implement those.
Garo leader and St Joseph School and College teacher Babul D Nokrek demanded foundation of a cultural academy for the Garo community at city’s Kalachadpur area.
He also demanded inclusion of a provision in the recently passed national education policy that will allow Garo children to continue their elementary level education in their mother language.
He asked for activating a separate land commission for the indigenous communities of plain land and a hostel for the community’s students studying at different educational institutions in the city.
Ershad said during the regime of his government, he had introduced quota system for the Garo community and donated a piece of land to set up a cultural academy and also assured of pressing home their demands.
Garo leaders said there are many cases in which land grabbers took their ancestral land or bought it in exchange for a small sum of money, which was no less than cheating, since the Garos did not have documents of the land.
They also feared that Garo youths are being rejected from BCS viva examinations though many passed the preliminary and written stage successfully. They sought government attention into the matter.
Celebrations began with a colourful procession that marched around the field. Chickens were also sacrificed aimed at satisfying their god.
Later, six girls and six boys of the community presented their way of Jhum cultivation through dances and songs.
They also distributed leaflets among visitors in a bid to raise awareness on Aids.
Around 50 makeshift stalls were set up displaying traditional dresses and other food items. The celebrations ended in the evening with traditional songs.
Garo leaders Andrio F Drong and the school’s Headmistress Umme Kulsum Nargis Begum spoke on the occasion with Garo leader Dipon Dio in the chair.
Our Correspondent from Mymensingh reports: Hundreds of Garo people including a huge number of women also observed Wangala festival at Askipara in Haluaghat upazila here yesterday.
Sanjib Drong, convener of the celebration committee, inaugurated the festival.
Indigenous Garo people from different areas of Haluaghat including Nalkura, Joyramkura, Aynatali, Sangra, Palashtali, Bahaitala, Telikhali, Jakhamkura, Dupajuri, Coochbihar and Gilaboi attended the function with their cultural teams.
