Meet the Man Helping Keep Assam's Traditional Boat Race Alive

New Delhi: In January, at Guwahati’s Dighalipukhuri lake, a number of Holong Nau – a type of traditional boat of Assam – crossed the length amidst excited screams from spectators watching those rowing the boats with finesse.

The event, a part of Rongali, an annual cultural festival held in Guwahati, was but a window into a tradition that has long existed in the state, particularly in lower Assam, but has been on the wane lately, largely due to the absence of institutional patronage. The Rongali effort was, in fact, a move towards promoting the indigenous sport.

The festival organisers held the event, which saw as many as 14 men’s teams and three women’s teams compete for a trophy and Rs 20,000 in cash, with help from the Assam Traditional Sports and Dragon Boat Association (ATSDBA).

One of the forces behind the association is Taher Ahmed, a boat race enthusiast and a long-time promoter of the sport of rowing in the state. Ahmed, former general secretary of Assam Rowing Association, is also the vice president of the Dragon Boat Federation of India, which helps create talent in the country to compete in the Chinese traditional boat race held at an international level.

In an interview with The Wire, Guwahati-based Ahmed talked about ATSDBA’s birth and its continuous effort towards reviving the traditional boat race of Assam besides touching upon the culture of Nau Khel Geet, the songs sung by boatmen in those competitions that reflect the syncretic culture of the state.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Assam has a tradition of boat race as a sport, particularly in lower Assam. The one held annually – in the weaving village Sualkuchi (in Kamrup district) on the occasion of the death anniversary of the revered Vaishnava saint Sankardeva – is pretty well known within the state.

Yes, it is. The Sualkuchi one has been happening for a very long time. People from all communities come together to mark the death anniversary of the Guru Jana. Traditionally, lower Assam has been the hub for the indigenous sport. There are other places in lower Assam, like Hajo, Chaigaon, Ulaguri, etc. where too these boat races take place annually.

Many teams participate in competitions. A large number of villagers take part in it. It is quite a sight. However, there has been very little institutional patronage. That way, it is a very sad story. It is continuing only because of the passion of some people, who spend their own money, time and energy to help keep the indigenous sport alive.

How many types of traditional boats are used in the sport?

Two types of boats are used – Holong Nau and Khel Nau. While the Holong can accommodate about 10-12 boatmen, the Khel Nau is longer, can have 30-50 people as rowers. Traditionally, the head of these boats had a Mayur pokhi (peacock), since the time of Sankardeva, but that would cost the boat owners more money. So many of these boats, participating in the competitions these days, would have a plain head only to save the cost. Thankfully, the boat builders are still there, though the production is less, may be one or two boats a year.

These boatmen also have the tradition of singing songs in these competitions. Are the Nau Khel songs still sung?

Yes, the tradition has continued. The participants in each team are a mixture of different religions. Normally, before going starting for the race and after finishing it, they sing these songs.

These songs reflect the syncretic culture of Assam, what we call Xunor Asom (Golden Assam). It is a great example of communal harmony. Hindus and Muslims come together as one community to participate in the sport and sing songs together in praise of Mahapurush Sankardeva and Azan Fakir (Sufi saint ). Songs are also sung in praise of Krishna and Radha, Ramayana, Beula and Lohindor. Then there are songs about the war of Karbala. All participants sing those songs aloud.

What pulled you to promoting this traditional sport? When was the Assam Traditional Sports and Dragon Boat Association formed? 

I got involved in 1993. I was promoting a mainstream sport, rowing, which is an Olympic event. And then I thought of quitting it to promote the traditional boat race. Many thought I was mad to do so.

In 1993, we started with an event named Brahmaputra Beach Festival on the river in Guwahati where we organised boat race competitions, and give away a cash award of Rs 20,000. The amount was unheard of then for a boat race. We also enacted the Battle of Saraighat on the Brahmaputra which exemplified the boating skills of the Ahom Army. The Mughals were defeated by Lachit Borphukan in a naval war on the Brahmaputra. His lieutenant was Bagh Hazarika, a valiant Assamese Muslim. That event got a lot of attention.

But we also realised then that the traditional skill was in a pathetic state for want of support. Villagers were organising the traditional competitions in different places but there was no money in it. The winner would take away a maximum of Rs 1000. At times, there was no cash award, only a bell metal koloh (pot, usually made in lower Assam town of Sarthebari, famous for bell metal pottery in Barpeta district) would be given away. Also, these organisers don’t have boats. The competitors have to get their own boats, which costs about Rs 1.5 lakh today.

Once, during one of our competitions in the 1990s, a boat broke. Obviously, it was the loss of only the boat owner. Those days, a boat would cost about a lakh. He just lost all the money in a sport which he pursued only as a passion. In most other sports, the equipment is provided to the participant, but not in Nau Khela. You have to understand that it is the passion of the boat owner which has kept the sport going. Also, who are the boatmen? These are mostly villagers engaged as daily wage earners. So if they agree to join the competition on behalf of the boat owner, they will have to be given a manoni (honorarium) by the boat owner. The food provided by the organisers to the participants is just boot-maah (black gram and green moong, a traditional prasad in the temples and naamghars of the state).

We paid not only an amount they couldn’t think of then (Rs 20,000) as cash award in the festival but also paid Rs 2,000-3,000 to those who participated so that the boat owners could bring his boatmen and take part in the competition. Thereafter, we have been organising many competitions.

Though the government kept saying that it would do something for its promotion, particularly after the Kerala boat races began to get very popular in the tourist circuit, nothing happened. I felt, this can’t go on. So, in 2008, we formed the association to not only promote the boat race but also our indigenous sports, including Dhop Khel, Taang Guti, Ghila Khel, Egg fight, Koloh Bhonga, Koloh Loi Dour, Dighal Thengia Dour, etc. It was also to create talent for the dragon boat races of China so that youth from our state can find an international platform along side pursuing the traditional Assamese sport. The Chinese dragon boat race is the only traditional sports recognised worldwide through which our sport can also gain.

Have they?

Yes, they have. Youth from Hajo, Chaigaon, etc. were sent to Malaysia, China, Myanmar, to take part in the international events including the world championship last year. They got a global exposure.

Unlike us, China worked hard to popularise its traditional boat race sport. Somehow, the international sports body recognises it, which has helped to make it an international sport with participants from different countries taking part it in it. Apart from the different look of the dragon boats, these competitions use drums to maintain the rhythm for the fast movement of the boats while in India, we maintain the beat just with the sound of the rows hitting the waters. In 2007, we started the All India Dragon Boat Association of which I am the vice president. The whole idea behind starting the association was to help our next generation to take part in international events alongside practicing the Assamese traditional form of the sport.

In April 2017, we organised a national tournament on the Brahmaputra, then in December 2016, we did a big event on Dipor Bil near Guwahati. In 2014, we did it on the Brahmaputra, at the Uzan Bazar ghat in Guwahati. In 2009, we did it in Hajo. We have women’s teams now. We are also trying to organise the traditional competitions happening in different places. We are trying, don’t know how successful we will be in organising the traditional events.

How expensive are these dragon boats?

The dragon boats come for Rs 4.5-5 lakh and have to be imported from China. So pursuing this sport is an expensive affair.

Recently, in the run-up to the annual Rongali Bihu festival, the Assam government held an event in Guwahati to promote indigenous sports.

On April 10, 11 and 12, the state government held an event to promote indigenous sports and games and invited our association as experts. We felt good, felt that the government finally acknowledged our effort. It is a very good step and needs to be repeated. Promotion of this sport can be a tourist attraction and a source of income. The government also needs to invest in boats as the individuals may not be able to afford it. It will also help conserve our traditional boats with the Mayur Pokhi head. These are unique to Assam, like those boats of Manipur with Sangai deer head (the deer is endemic to Manipur); the snake boats of Kerala, the duck head boats of Andhra Pradesh, like the dragon head boats of China.

The Dragon Boat Associations in countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka have come together to jointly organise the events keeping tourism in mind. The boats are provided by their respective tourism departments. We have given many proposals to our state tourism department in that regard but nothing has happened so far.