1st Assam Hun-Thadou Cultural Fest A Grand Success, Calls For Unity, Peace

Guwahati:

The distinct indigenous Thadou tribe in Assam throughout its first state-level Hun-Thadou cultural competition celebrations welcomed state Cupboard Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma because the particular visitor, days after the Thadou tribe fended off threats by Kuki militants towards holding the competition.

“The competition celebrated the cultural id, heritage, and collective aspirations of the Thadou neighborhood in Assam and the broader northeast area,” the competition organisers stated in an announcement.

“The Assam State Hun-Thadou Cultural Pageant 2025 proved to be a landmark celebration of indigenous resilience, cultural delight, and peaceable coexistence, reaffirming the Thadou neighborhood’s position in constructing a extra inclusive and harmonious future,” the organisers stated.

Aside from the Thadou cultural exhibits, various communities of Assam participated within the occasion with their vibrant cultural exhibits, together with Bihu/Assamese, Bodo, Dimasa, and Gorkha/Nepali, making the most important competition of Thadou tribe really an emblem of unity in range, they stated.

A memento booklet – Sinkhup: Assam 1.0 – was launched by Manipur MLA Konthoujam Govindas, and devoted by Reverend Hangsing.

The morning additionally featured cultural performances, together with a Thadou dance by the Thadou College students Affiliation (TSA) Guwahati, and an Assamese Bihu dance by the Borhamathuri Bihu Group.

The midday session, moderated by Dr M Paosei Haokip targeted on discussions surrounding indigenous id and growth. Dr Haokip is president of the Thadou Human Rights Advocacy.

Michael Lamjathang Haokip, chief of the TSA-GHQ, delivered a keynote on the distinctiveness of the Thadou tribe in Assam with respect to Manipur and different elements of the northeast. The state-level was organised with the intention to advertise the distinctiveness of the Thadou tribe, promote conventional cultural heritage and likewise promote peaceable coexistence with all communities of the state, he stated.

The leaders stated the Thadou tribe in Assam will help promote peaceable coexistence between completely different communities in Manipur by reaching out to Thadou within the neighbouring state. The Thadou individuals are additionally hopeful that the MLAs of Manipur being the representatives of the individuals have an enormous affect and can earnestly work for restoration of peace.

“It’s also pertinent to notice that the message of peaceable coexistence must be pushed via all potential channels. We consider that the individuals of Assam and the Thadou neighborhood having shut knit brethren in Manipur, will help unfold the message of peace,” Konthoujam Govindas stated.

A Gorkha cultural dance by Dispur Faculty Gorkha Unit and a musical efficiency by Thangminsem added color to the session, the organisers stated.

Chongboi Haokip, convenor of the Thadou Group Worldwide (TCI) and member of Britain’s Chartered Institute of Horticulture, offered methods for channeling the competition towards sustainable growth practices, whereas social employee Jalun Haokip from Australia gave an emotional reflection on peace, justice, and non-violence in response to the unrest in Manipur.

The Thadou tribe additionally offered a six-point memorandum to the chief visitor Mr Brahma, requesting steps to be taken for the safety of Thadou tribe, id, and tradition in Assam.

Mr Brahma is the state minister of handloom, textile and sericulture, soil conservation, and welfare of Bodoland division.

The memorandum signed by leaders of the Thadou Inpi Dima Hasao, and Thadou Inpi Karbi Anglong sought recognition of Thadou customary legislation within the autonomous hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong.

It additionally requested for inclusion of the Thadou language within the Shiksha Setu instructional web site underneath the Assam Schooling Division. Different key requests embrace satisfactory political illustration within the Harangajao (Durbin) constituency underneath the NC Hills Autonomous Council, and a proper recognition of the Thadou tribe as a definite and impartial hill tribe within the autonomous district of Assam.

The closing session was marked by dynamic cultural change and symbolic performances, together with a standard Dimasa dance, a musical quantity by Meitei artist Sori, and a cultural showcase by the Bodo Literary Society, the organisers stated.

A joint efficiency by MLA L Susindro Yaima Meitei and Sori Senjam was one of many highlights, symbolising unity via artwork.

The night ended with a benediction by Thadou Christian Fellowship Guwahati (TCFG) secretary Lunminsang Sitlhou, and the normal Lamkol dance by the Thadou tribe, bringing the occasion to a dignified and joyful shut, the organisers stated.

“A particular point out was manufactured from Michael Lamjathang Haokip’s unwavering management, which continues to encourage admiration from all quarters. The vote concluded with hope that the competition enriched everybody’s understanding of the Thadou neighborhood and that the spirit of unity and peace would carry ahead to Hun 2026,” the organisers stated within the assertion.

On March 28, with lower than per week from the occasion, Thadou civil society teams and leaders complained to the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs (MHA) and the Assam Police over alleged threats by Kuki militants towards celebrating the Hun-Thadou cultural competition.

The Thadou teams requested the MHA and the Assam Police to present “the strongest potential response” to “terror ways by Kuki militant teams, threats towards [festival] organisers, and militants’ plan to punish competition delegates.”

“The self-proclaimed Kuki Inpi Assam (KIA) has issued a draconian order demanding the cancellation of the Hun Thadou cultural competition… Their assertion that solely the Assam government-recognised Kuki Chavang Kut might be celebrated is absurd and baseless,” the TSA-GHQ had stated in a memorandum to the MHA.

In a grievance to the Assam Police in search of a primary data report (FIR) to be filed towards Kuki militants, Michael Lamjathang Haokip alleged the militants have “brazenly threatened the individuals of Assam, together with Thadou delegates from Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, who’ve confirmed their participation within the Hun 2025 celebrations.”

Within the grievance, he named United Kukigam Defence Military (UKDA) chief Janglen Kipgen, Kuki Revolutionary Military (KRA-Assam) chief Lalsei Gangte, and Kuki Liberation Military (KLA-Assam) chief Haolam Lunkim because the militants who threatened violence if the Hun 2025 celebration scheduled on April 4 in Guwahati was not cancelled.