Jhumur Dance is typical to the tea tribes community in Assam. The tea tribes have settled in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley in tea plantation settlements with the advent of the British rule in in various districts of Assam such as Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivsagar, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sonitpur, Darrang, Nagaon, Morigaon, & North Lakhimpur. They have their own set of cultural patterns and style of living. Jhumur is a dance form of this community which represents their cultural identity. This dance is performed while merry making, during leisure time or during any celebrations or festivals. This dance is performed by young boys and girls, dancing with each other, holding their waists in semi-circles. It is accompanied by folk songs and music played in traditional instruments such as ‘Madol'(Dhol), Bahi (Flute) etc.
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A brief description of the History of Tea in Assam:
Assam tea was discovered by Robert Bruce in the year 1823 in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley of the state. Since then tea in Assam has created a major impact in developing its economy. The tea industry today is a full-fledged industrial asset to the state which generates a revenue of more than Rs. 3,000 crore annually from its exports. This year, 2023, is remarkable for the Assam Tea Industry as it completes its historic journey of 200 years. In this connection, the Government has decided to organise a Jhumur Dance Festival to commemorate the contribution of the tea industry in the State.
Jhumur Dance Festival 2023 Assam
This year the Ministry of Cultural affairs under Govt of Assam has decided to celebrate (200) two hundred years of tea industry in Assam by organizing the Jhumur Dance Festival. This step taken by the Govt will not only bring the budding talents from the tea tribe community spread over (800) Eight hundred tea gardens of Assam under one platform but also will create an opportunity for the tea tribes to showcase their rich cultural heritage through this dance to the world. This would serve as a significant step towards cultural promotion and preservation of folk dance, songs as well as folk instruments. The Jhumur Dance Festival will comprise of the following elements:
- During this event a five Day workshop is to be organized across all (800) Eight hundred tea gardens of Assam from which hundred troupes will be selected.
- From the above mentioned 100 troupes, each troupes will comprise of 14 dancers and 4 instrumentalists
- Mandar, Dhol, Nagara & Bansuri are the prime instruments that are to be used.
Proposed Timeline for Jhumur Dance Festival 2023
- The garden level Workshop will start from 1st of Nov to 5th of Nov 2023.
- Selection of the teams for district level competitions will be held from 10th of Nov to 12th of Nov 2023.
- From 15th to 20th Nov the district level competition will be held for the event.
- The selection of the teams for state level competition will be held from 25th to 27 Nov.
- A 5 days long state level programme will be organized in January 2024 at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati.
- The Grand Finale of the Jhumur Dance Festival 2023 will be held at the Sarusajai Stadium, Guwahati.
FAQ’s on Jhumur Dance Festival 2023:
When will the Jhumur Dance Festival 2023 start?
The Jhumur Dance Festival 2023 will start from 1st of Nov 2023.
Who discovered tea in Assam?
Robert Bruce in the year 1823 discovered tea in Assam.
When was the Tea auction center in Assam established?
The Guwahati Tea auction center in Assam was established in 25th September 1970.
