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Conservation Awareness: rooted in Assam’s folktales, traditions and songs.

Oditi Patgiri

Oditi Patgiri


Each culture defines the beauty of nature in its own unique way. The distinctive physiography, diverse climate, and range of attitudes, make people call the state of Assam a "Paradise Unexplored." Folktales, songs, or ballads have all historically been used as a means of expressing people's understanding of nature and the value of conservation. Due to transfer to other cultures and their interpretations of society, these artistic forms are passed down from generation to generation modified. The deep rooted culture of Assam has played an important role in spreading awareness about conservation for centuries.

The famous “Burhi aair Xaadhu” by Lakshminath Bezbarua of Assam is considered to be one of the best works to reflect the essence of assamese livelihood and their relationship with nature. The folktales included in the collection are ecocentric in nature which portrays different characters of the land such as its rivers, forests, animals etc. If viewed from an environmental perspective, one of the tales titled, “Bagh aru kekora” represents the importance of a healthy relationship between human and non human beings leading to a better environment as well as a better socio- political order. Another tale from the collection titled “Burha, Burhi aru xiyal” reflects how cheating, selfishness and unaccountability leads to polluting nature and degenerating the environment. There has also been recent instance of how Scholars found water conservation clues in Karbi (a tribe of Assam) folklores.

The Karbi people believe in maintaing a good harmony with water for their well being and overall sustainability of the environment. Often in their folklore stories related to water are recited as water for them is not only a physical identity but a sacred entity that holds significance. In Assamese culture as well water is considered to be purifying in nature. The tradition of “Pani Tula” in Assamese wedding from the nearby pond is a good example of it. The bride and groom are considered to be purified by the water as collected from the conservation so that that future life is prosperous. The environmental value come here from the fact that water is collected from the river or public tanks and not from domestic well or ponds.Assam is also a home to a little over 1800 Greater adjutant stork or Hargila (bone swallower in assamese) once classified in IUCN red list as an endangered bird. People of Assam also considered it as a bad omen because of its foul smell and the noises it made. “Hargila Army” or “stork sisters” of Assam as we name them became the driving force of conservation of Hargila. Initially, when approached with the idea of conservation women were restricted with their shy nature and reluctance to participate in conservation work.However, later on when these women were approached with the idea of various activities like crafts, cooking, music and dance to spread the awareness about community conservation these women came forward to raise their voices about conservation work and eventually made sure that no disturbances would be there during breeding period. In order to give force to the conservation programme, incorporation of the “ritual belief” system has played a significant role to bring together the villagers and showcase their cultural practice. The women are seen writing naam songs(Prayer songs) which are used to pray for a better life for the bird thatcomes to breed in their village. The womenfolk are seen writing lyrics like “Hargila, you are safe in our village”and performing street plays with hargila conservation messages.

To sum up, Assam's rich cultural legacy has promoted a symbiotic relationship with the natural world, in which customs, beliefs, and community management initiatives have made a substantial contribution to the preservation of the region's natural resources. The reverence for sacred areas, sustainable resource use, and community involvement in maintaining biodiversity are all major examples of how culture has encouraged conservation in the region.


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