Guwahati, Feb 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to witness the world’s largest Jhumur dance performance, featuring 9,648 dancers and drum beaters (madal badak) from 800 tea estates, at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati on Monday at 5:30 PM.
The grand event, titled “Jhumair Binandini,” is being spearheaded by the state cultural department and will also be attended by a distinguished delegation of 61 Heads of Missions from various countries. The delegation, led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, will include 22 families of ambassadors. Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita will also grace the occasion.
This celebration aims to highlight the rich cultural heritage of the tea tribe community on the occasion of 200 years of Assam’s tea industry.
“The foreign delegation arrived in Jorhat today and will stay overnight at Royal De Casa and Borgos in Kaziranga. Tomorrow, they will embark on jeep and elephant safaris at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) before returning to Guwahati for the Jhumur dance event,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“The purpose of this visit is to facilitate the withdrawal of travel restrictions for Assam. Australia has already lifted these restrictions, marking a significant step forward taken by the Union government,” Sarma further said.
Upon his arrival at the venue, PM Modi will greet the dancers and drum beaters by moving around the stadium complex in a specially arranged vehicle. He will also greet the crowd gathered to witness the spectacle, Sarma informed the media.
CM Sarma will address the participants before PM Modi’s speech, followed by a cultural presentation showcasing Assam’s rich heritage.
Simultaneously, similar Jhumur dance events will be organized across all 800 tea estates. Those unable to participate in the mega event at Sarusajai Stadium will perform at their respective estates, ensuring the celebrations reach every corner of the tea-growing community, Sarma added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister during a virtual conference asked the DCs to facilitate screening of the mega Jhumoir Binandini at all 800 plus tea gardens across the state. Sarma said that as the state government could not accommodate all the enthusiastic dancers in the mega Jhumoir Binandini at Guwahati, where Prime Minister will remain present, the DCs should arrange for screening the event at the tea gardens so that the people in the areas can feel and enjoy the mega event from their places of stay.
