ASSAM: A CULTURAL CAULDRON

The ideal agrarian tropical climate, the monsoon rains, the alluvial soil irrigated by the waters of the Brahmaputra, Barak and their tributaries have been always attracting hordes of people from different parts of the globe.

These factors have gifted Assam with a virtual cultural cauldron.

ASSAM: ANTHROPOLOGISTS’ PARADISE

As a result, Assam has always been an anthropologist’s delight.

Assam has been the home to many tribes which subsequently had other sub groups or sub tribes since the days of yore.

Mention may be made of the Australoids, Mongoloids, and even Negroids.

Assam is the largest state insofar as the home of the Aryans in North East is concerned.

Some of the communities migrated to the fertile plains of the Brahmaputra and the Barak valleys at various points of history.

Moreover, many people came to Assam for business and official purposes during the Ahom rule and then again in the British regime down to the modern times. 

ASSAM: SOCIO-ECONOMIC-CULTURAL & RELIGIOUS ETHOS

Each tribe or group developed its own typical cultural ethos against the backdrop of the socio-economic and climatic circumstances.

All members of each tribe are intensely connected to their rich cultural tradition and heritage.

The intense sensibilities are reflected in their folklores, lullabies, the tunes rendered to lyrics and the beliefs. The dresses – both of the male and the female – are wonderful mirrors of their motifs.

The agrarian backbone of the Assamese people is to be seen in the typical cuisines of each community.

ASSAM: LINGUISTS’ CASE STUDY

A typicality of Assam is the wide variety in dialects.

This fact can be gauged from the fact that one can hear a different dialect after every kilometer within the state.

Interestingly enough, this diversity has strengthened the Assamese spirit. This is notwithstanding the prolific use of dialects.

This has provided a unique linguistic bond: Each Assamese communicates with one another in the lingua franca – the Assamese language.