Meet Dipak Deka who has grown five different species of 'Kopou Phul'

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANGALDAI: The 'Kopou Phul' commonly known as 'Foxtail Orchid' (Rhynchostylis retusa) since time immemorial is an integral part and parcel of Assamese culture and tradition. A hairdo or coiffure better known as chignon without decorated with a 'Kopou Phul' is meaningless during the celebration of Rongali Bihu in Assam as for a damsel in traditional attire and ornaments, it is mandatory to decorate her chignon (khopa) with this 'Kopou Phul'. In earlier days with the existence of thick jungles, this Kopou Phul was easily available. But with the rampant destruction of evergreen forest cover for human settlement or in the name of expansion of city lives the trees bearing the Kopou Phul became very rare. The Bihu teams too find it very difficult to collect this orchid to decorate the chignon of the damsels for their participation in the Bihu Dance in different areas of the State.

Dipak Deka - a prominent percussionist of Bihu dhol and Pepa (a hornpipe musical instrument) player who is also a member of Bihu team of village Jhargaon near historic Jaljali Pukhuri too faced the same problem in finding this blooming orchid flower. Finding no alternative Dipak started cultivation of Kopou Phul in his paternal beetle nut orchard in 2009. Presently he has 500 numbers of Kopou plants of five different species. Any visitor to his residence will be greeted by the deep fragrance of other scented flowers like tagar and keteki on the entrance. He has been collecting the plants from different faraway places like Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and for the last two years, he also started selling them in a commercial way.

"I am a casual employee in a private company and hardly can spare my time for other activities. Yet I, actively assisted by my wife Rumi have been maintaining these plants with due care and love. In 2019 I have sold 500 pieces of flowers in Mangaldai and in Guwahati and it fetched a good amount. Our youths both unemployed and employed may try for it as it will be of great contribution to our culture and tradition," said Dipak Deka who is also an active blood donor and involved with the voluntary organization 'Unity We the Blood Donors'. Every year, during the Assamese month of Bohag, a good number of interested buyers visited the house of Dipak Kalita to purchase the 'Kopou Phul'

Also watch: Deer rescued at Jamugurihat

Also Read: Youth sets new world record for maximum online international certificate courses