Shillong, Nov 7: It is that time of the year again when the rhythmic beats of drums reverberate across the verdant hills of Garo Hills, beckoning all to come to the hills to witness the rich and vibrant culture of the Garo tribe in all its glory. It is time for the renowned ‘100 Drums Wangala Festival’, the post-harvest festival of the Garos, now in its 48th edition.
The annual 3-day festival began on Thursday at Wangala A’dam, or permanent site cum Garo Heritage village, situated at Chibragre in West Garo Hills. The festival returns to Wangala A’dam after a gap of one year as the festival had to be hosted at Baljek in Jengjal last year due to heavy rains washing away the approach road to the village.
Wangala is the most significant post-harvest festival of the Garos generally held in the second week of November every year. It is a thanksgiving ceremony to Misi Saljong also known as Pattigipa Ra∙rongipa (The Great Giver) for having blessed the people with the rich harvest of the season.
The Hundred Drums Wangala festival, which was started in the year 1976 at Asanang, the Headquarters of Rongram Development Block near Tura, has grown over the years under the patronage of the Government of Meghalaya and nurtured by the festival organization.
On Thursday, the first day of the cultural extravaganza, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Jagdish Chelani, inaugurated the Nokpante and Nokmong or Noka’chik constructed recently at the Wangala A’dam as part of the various infrastructure development that are taking place in phase manner in order to upgrade the Garo Heritage Village.
It may be mentioned that the Nokpante is a Bachelor’s Dormitory where young Garo men live and learn life skills for their future life while Noka’chik is a Garo Traditional House built by using bamboo structure on wooden post which is about 10 to 45 metres in length, has a living room called dongrama, that has fireplace, etc and these are aimed to facilitate researchers for their research related work in future.
Further, the Deputy Commissioner also inaugurated the Handloom and Handicraft Exhibition where Principal, Harding Theological College, Eden Bari Tura and Guest of Honour of the function, Dr. Imnanungshi Imsong, Deputy CEM GHADC, Tura Nikman Marak, Joint Secretary, GHADC, Tura Peter R Marak, Chairman, Hundred Drums Wangala Festival Committee (HDWFC), Ronald Rikman Ch Sangma, Secretary (HDWFC), Salgira A Sangma and other dignitaries were present during the first day of the Wangala festival.
Expressing his appreciation and gratitude to the members of the Wangala Committee, the Deputy Commissioner Chelani said that this is an important event not only for the Garo Heritage Village but for the whole community. Stating that the Garo culture has more to showcase to the world he urged everyone to promote local culture, and attract many tourists from other states and beyond and hoped that these assets would reflect the local beliefs and customs of the Garo culture.
The Chairman of the Hundred Drums Wangala Festival Committee, Ronald Rikman Sangma, said the celebration of the festival at the site is still at the initial stage and a lot more to work upon in the days to come. However, he said that it is a matter of great pride for every Garo since the festival can be celebrated with a view to preserve and showcase the rich culture and traditions of the Garos.
Narrating the rituals of the festival, he said that these traditions are unique and should be preserved for our future generations. He also expressed his gratitude to the Central and State Government for their financial assistance for organizing this festival.
On the first day of the festival, Indigenous Games and Sports like Wa∙pong sika, Jakpong Pe∙a, An∙ding O’ka, Rongma Desusa∙a for men, Rongma Chilsusa∙a for women, were organised. Another added attraction to this year’s festival is the Special dance performance by OPATA and ASA, NEHU, Tura Campus.
Further, as part of the three-day Wangala festival, the Master Chef Competition cum Indigenous Slow Food competition known as Brenga (which is cooked in bamboo tubes) and We∙tepa (which is steamed on low fire by wrapping with banana leaves) was also organized.
In the Tug of War competition, Rongkhon team emerged the winner again while All Garo Hills MeECL team bagged the Runners Up. The winners were awarded with a Trophy, Certificate and Cash prizes.
Folk song competitions, Rugala, Chachat So∙a, and Rhythm of 100 Drums will be held in the following days.
