Artist Nuruddin Ahmed recreating Assamese village at Vigyan Bhawan

NEW DELHI: Guwahati-based artist Nuruddin Ahmed is in the job of recreating an Assamese village in the national capital.

The veteran artist has been hired by the Government of Assam to build an Assamese village on the lawns of Vigyan Bhawan, the venue of the three-day event marking the 400th birth anniversary of the great warrior, Ahom General Lachit Barphukan.

Under his direction, 25 to 26 coworkers are busy at work to recreate an Assamese village with a rural backdrop from Friday. The three-day event at the national capital will kickstart on November 23.

The village spread out in an area of 55 metres in length and 14 metres in breadth will have a life-size namghar, an Assam-type house, a sang Ghar (bamboo stilt house) representing the Mising and Dimasa communities, a tea tribe community, the portrayal of Soklong (a traditional Ahom marriage), and erecting a maidam (burial mound). "Raw materials are being procured locally while items like the Sarai, japi and bamboo products are being brought from Assam," added Ahmed.

Recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and President's Award, Ahmed also does costume designing for films and theatre in Assam. "With extraordinary creativity in the trade of designing, Nuruddin Ahmed has set high benchmarks in the field and made the state proud," said a member of the venue management and decoration committee.

Born in the North Lakhimpur district of Assam, Ahmed made the first Durga idol in 1975 and has since created over 1,000 such idols so far and designed many puja pandals in Assam.

His 98-feet Durga Idol made of bamboo during the 2017 Durga Puja at the Bishnupur Sarbajanin Puja Committee's pandal in Guwahati, has been enlisted in the Limca Book of Records as the tallest Durga idol.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will inaugurate an exhibition showcasing artefacts from the Ahom era on February 23. A total of 120 numbers of artefacts in three-layered packs are being airlifted from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. The artefacts belong to the Directorate of Museums, Directorate of Archaeology and Directorate of Historical and Antiquarian Studies and weigh around 232 kgs to Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan for display on all three days. These artefacts of great historical significance, including rock inscriptions of the Ahom era that lasted for long 600 years will be kept in a strong room under tight security after their arrival from Guwahati. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has instructed the officials assigned for looking after the artefacts to take every care so that no harm is caused and to transport them back safely once the programme is over.

At the direction of the Chief Minister, the traditional Assamese gamosa stacked on bamboo sticks will adorn the path leading to the main entrance of Vigyan Bhawan

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the plenary session as chief guest on February 24 while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will grace the valedictory function at Plenary Hall at Vigyan Bhawan at 10 am on November 25. A documentary will be screened on the great warrior who crushed the Mughals in the historic Battle of Saraighat near Guwahati. Governor of Assam, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Speaker, Assam Legislative Assembly, Biswajit Daimary, Minister, Information & Public Relations, Pijush Hazarika, Justice (retd.) and MP Ranjan Gogoi and MP, Topon Kumar Gogoi will attend the valedictory function.

On February 23, Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju will inaugurate a cultural evening at Sunder Nursery, City Park, Nizamuddin.

There will be two-panel discussions shedding light on the life and times of the valiant warrior, Lachit Barphukan. In the panel discussion to be held on November 23 on the topic, "The Ahom Saga of Hope, Skills and Courage" to be moderated by former Chief Secretary, Assam, Jishnu Barua, the panellists include State Information Commissioner, Assam, Dr Samudra Gupta Kashyap, former DG, Assam, UP and BSF, Prakash Singh, Dr Chandan Kumar Sharma, Department of History, Dibrugarh University, Prof Kapil Kapur, Pro VC, JNU and Kuldeep Patowary, academician. In the panel discussion on November 24, on the topic, "Ignored Historiography of Assam's Assertion", Prof Rajib Handique, Department of History, Gauhati University, Dr Sangeeta Gogoi, Department of History, Mangaldai College, Chandraprakash Dwivedi, actor and filmmaker, Vikram Sampat, eminent author and Rajesh Kumar Singh, filmmaker and critic will take part, a press release said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is personally overseeing every minute detail to make the programme a success.

Also Read:  Of Vigour, Valour and Valiance: Celebrating Bir Lachit

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