Alipurduar: Buxa Tourism & Cultural Carnival commences
Alipurduar: The ‘Buxa Tourism and Cultural Carnival,’ spanning over 12 days, was flagged off at Rajabhatkhawa in the Buxa Tiger Reserve in Alipurduar district on Friday with the aim to promote cultural tourism in the Dooars region. The festival showcases the diverse culture of Alipurduar, featuring folk cultural programmes representing Adivasi, Nepali, Dukpa, Mech, Rava, and Garo communities.
Ramkumar Lama, one of the organisers, explained: “We conceived the festival to highlight cultural tourism in Alipurduar, a mini India with over 50 indigenous communities. These communities exhibit differences in language, culture, and lifestyle, making Alipurduar one of the most diverse districts in the country. We aim to make this diversity more accessible to tourists. Each village and forest within the Buxa Tiger Reserve holds hidden stories and through tribal culture, we want people to connect with those narratives. We hope the 12-day carnival will be appreciated by both locals and tourists.”
The carnival will unfold at various locations within the Buxa Tiger Project. Inaugurated on Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, it will culminate on January 23 at the historic Buxa Fort, coinciding with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday. Local tourism stakeholders in Alipurduar are spearheading this event.
The carnival will highlight local tribal culture, food and tribal folk literature at various points, including historical Buddhist Gumba (monastery), tribal museum in Kalchini Tea Garden, tree library, Rai culture in Khokla Basti, Santalabari, Jayanti, Buxa and Lepchakha.
An exhibition showcasing musical instruments, clothing, and daily life artifacts of different tribal communities is also a part of the festival. The display included nearly extinct tribal musical instruments and featured poems and storybooks by tribal writers.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Alipurduar MLA Suman Kanjilal, Alipurduar Municipality Chairman Prasenjit Kar, North Bengal Development Council vice-chairman Mridul Goswami, and other dignitaries. The event also provided tourists with the opportunity to sample a variety of dishes including Adivasi, Nepali, Dukpa, Mech and Rava cuisines.
