Jatinga — the village on a ridge facing the Borail Hill range in Dima Hasao (previously North Cacha Hills) district of Assam — has thrown open its doors to tourists, courtesy the recently concluded first International Jatinga Festival.
The main objective of the festival, held from October 27 to 29, was to relaunch Dima Hasao as a tourist destination and wipe out memories of the terror-affected village that it had become. The festival showcased the rich and diverse ethnic mosaic of the district with a kaleidoscopic presentation of arts and craft, music and dance, and offered a glimpse of the culture and cuisine of the various ethnic groups of the region.
The troubled past
Dubbed as Nature’s Paradise, Jatinga — known for the eerie phenomenon of birds committing mass suicide — faded into oblivion in the wake of violent insurgent movements.
Being an autonomous district, Dima Hasao gets huge funds from the Centre. Unfortunately, development here had taken a backseat owing to corruption and violence unleashed by the militants. A probe conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) — its first investigation since its constitution —
revealed massive siphoning of funds by government officials and politicians. At least 10 per cent of central funds meant for the district’s development went to the militants’ coffers. NIA indicted over a dozen people including politicians, state bureaucrats, businessmen and rebel leaders, who are now languishing in jail. Reports suggest that the financial scam in the district was to the tune of `1,000 crore. The rebels held the district to ransom for nearly a decade by
unleashing a reign of terror. Tourism was most affected with the number of people visiting the district, particularly Jatinga, dropping significantly in the last few years.
But now, the cult of violence seems to be ending in the district after the Centre’s intervention and the pact that the rebels had signed with the government. The district boasts of tremendous potential and opportunities in many areas, especially tourism. The optimism however, is yet to catch up with the masses.
One of the aims behind organising the International Jatinga Festival was to change this mindset. Letting go of past hostilities, the ethnic groups danced and sang together to the beats of drums and traditional musical instruments. Bollywood singer-composer Lucky Ali was the star performer at the event.
The festival, organised by the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, was inaugurated by Assam Governor JB Patnaik. In his address, Patnaik said, “With its unbounded beauty, this district has enormous potentials to attract tourists from all over India.”
Kulendra Daulagupu, a member of the district council, said the festival was
organised with an aim to regain tranquility in the district.
“The other objectives were to catalyse emotional healing and integration of
local populace, promote brotherhood among the various ethnic groups, celebrate the return of peace and rescue of the paradise, remove the perceptual threats by righting the incorrect perception, showcase the rich tourism potentials and highlight the district as a promising tourist destination,” he said.
Daulagupu said the best thing about the festival was that it had brought the various ethnic groups on one platform. The locals were equally joyous that the gala event was held at Jatinga.
Optimism unlimited
“The festival will surely boost local tourism. It’s really sad that the district continues to lag behind in all spheres despite its tremendous tourism potentials,” said Phyrnai Dkhar, a teacher.
“We are hopeful the festival will help promote tourism not only of Jatinga, but the entire district,” said OW Suchen, secretary of Jatinga village.
“To us, the people of Jatinga, the festival meant a lot because it would boost the village’s economy,” he added. “To my mind, one of the purposes of the festival was to send across a message to the tourists, both domestic and foreign, that they can come to Jatinga for a sojourn without any fear,” said Pastor JE Rupsi.
“Dima Hasao would have been on the world map as a tourist destination had it not been ravaged by insurgency,” said Jishnu Haflongbar, a youth. “We believe things will start to improve after the festival,” he added.
James Kuki, a local, said that more than anything else, the district urgently needed infrastructure development.
Apart from insurgency, transportation continues to be a major bottleneck in promoting tourism in Dima Hasao.
Haflong, the district headquarters, and Jatinga can be reached only by road or rail. There are only two trains that chug upto Haflong each day and the condition of the roads leading to the district is horrible. The rail route (metre gauge), which the tourists always prefer, is serpentine because of the hilly terrains. The train passes through as many as 18 tunnels before reaching Haflong.
— prasanta@expressbuzz.com
The bizarre suicide by birds
The 80-year-long mysterious phenomenon of flocks of birds committing mass suicide has drawn thousands of tourists and ornithologists to Jatinga over the years. The birds come on foggy, drizzling, moonless nights, flying against the wind. Villagers say the absence of even one of these conditions results in the non-appearance of the birds. It usually occurs between 6 pm and 9.30 pm in the months of August, September and October when the birds, attracted by light, come crashing to the ground.
According to Divisional Forest Officer RM Dubey, the story dates back to 1885 when some Zeme Nagas noticed the phenomenon. They thought it was an act of the devil and left the place by selling the lands away to the Jayantias who had migrated to Jatinga from the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.
The Jayantias too observed the phenomenon, but, unlike the Zeme Nagas, they began catching the birds by putting up lights in the open.
Dove, black drango, blue legged bustard quail, kingfisher, green pigeon, hawk cuckoo, Indian pitta and green breasted pitta are some of the birds that get drawn to light and warmth easily. Strangely, these birds are not nocturnal.
Ornithologists dismiss the ‘suicide’ theory.
“The brain of birds isn’t evolved for suicide. In Jatinga, villagers lure the birds and kill them for food or fun,” acclaimed ornithologist Parimal C Bhattacharjee explained.
Assam Governor JB Patnaik agreed. “This is a crude way of killing the birds. I appeal to the people to ban this practice,” Patnaik said in his inaugural speech at the festival. Though experts maintain that the birds do not commit suicide, there are many who believe the birds cannot be trapped simply by putting up lights.
“If that was true, why don’t we experience such phenomenon elsewhere?” asks Bankim Haflongbar, a youth.
— PM