The audience watching a performance of Bihu, traditional Assamese dance, on Thursday evening at Gandhi Thidal in Puducherry was in for a pleasant surprise when it was introduced to the distinctive sounds of the ‘gogona,’ the hairpins worn by the women performers.
The gogona is actually a musical instrument, a jaw harp. The performance, which began on a slow tempo led by a male singer, picked up pace and earned applause from the audience.
The performance was part of Octave 2014, which has been organised by the South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur in collaboration with the governments of Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Octave seeks to bring awareness and highlight the culture and folk art of the northeastern States. Octave 2014 is being held from December 11 to December 23 in Puducherry, Eluru, Guntur, Narasaraopet, Sattenapalli, Hyderabad and Shad Nagar. In Puducherry, the performances are being held on three days till December 13 at Gandhi Thidal, Chunnambar and Ariyankuppam. Around 300 artistes are taking part in the performances in Puducherry at the three venues, with 18 groups.
The art forms which have been included in the Puducherry itinerary are Chakma Bizu from Tripura, Maibi dance from Manipur, Thang-Ta (a martial arts and dhol folk art) and Pung Cholom from Manipur, Warrior dance from Nagaland, Cheraw from Mizoram, Kom dance from Manipur, Yak/ Lion dance from Arunachal Pradesh, Harvest dance from Meghalaya, Dhal Tungri from Assam, Gaso syo from Arunachal Pradesh and Rai Chandi dance from Sikkim. There were also a few performances from South Indian artistes. Apart from showcasing the music and dance forms, these tribal and folk arts also showcased the rich handloom culture of the northeastern States through their vibrant costumes.
Octave was first organised in Delhi by the Zonal Cultural Centres in association with the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2006. Since then, Octave has been held in different places such as Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Mumbai, Patna and Solan.
‘Octave’ derives its name from the cultural performances of the eight northeastern States it represents — Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Sikkim.
Art and Culture Minister T. Thiagarajan, Speaker V. Sabapathy and Dr. Sajith, Director, South South Zone Cultural Centre Thanjavur attended the inaugural function on Thursday.
