Microcosm of Assam at Dibrugarh varsity - Rs 1.3 crore educational-cum-recreational park under construction on 32 bighas of university land SMITA BHATTACHARYYA The miniature Rang Ghar. Telegraph picture
Dibrugarh, Oct. 17: For those hoping to savour the essence of Assam, a miniature world is coming up on Dibrugarh University campus. A Rs 1.3 crore educational-cum-recreational park, spread over 32 bighas of land, is under construction on the university campus. Started in October 2010, the park will have everything which represents Assam’s social, cultural, historical and natural facets. These include a miniature Rang Ghar, sculptures of bulls fighting, a mahout atop an elephant, a one-horned rhino peeping out from behind tall scrub and a rock garden. There are excavated ponds, one with an island and artificial trees for birds to alight on a tongali ghar (tree house), huts with a dheki, houses on stilts with a handloom, village folk engaged in their chores and a namghar too. Vice-chancellor K.K. Deka said the educational-cum-recreational park was being constructed with the aim to keep some typical aspects of life frozen in time for posterity while serving as a place of recreation for the present generation. “A time will come when many things will be lost to future generations. We have tried to put in as many things as possible in order to create a socio-cultural milieu, which exists even today in our villages. Many of us do not know what a tongali ghar was built for and with the advent of better mixers and grinders, the dheki is slowly becoming a thing of the past,” Deka said. Explaining the purpose of a tongali ghar, Dibrugarh University liaison officer P. Borthakur said it was a small treehouse in which a few people of the village would sit and frighten away birds from the paddy fields. “These do not exist any more. Even village children may not know what these mean,” he said. Borthakur, who is in-charge of the construction of the park, also pointed to a row of figures seated next to an old woman. It will be a representation of Lakshminath Bezbaruah’s Burhi Aair Xadu, which depicts an old woman telling tales to her grandchildren, he added. Borthakur said while the front part of the park would be paved and tiled, the area at the back would have narrow and bumpy lanes to represent village roads, which would lead to the huts, namghar, dheki and handlooms, depicting life in a village. The excavated ponds would have boating and swimming facilities. However, one would be left undisturbed for the birds. One corner will have a huge rock constructed to symbolize a rock garden. Borthakur said the whole place would be lit up and sound boxes, which would play songs of Deepali Borthakur and other Assamese singers. There was also provision for a fountain at one end. The project will be completed — already 90 per cent has been finished — with the Rs 1.3 crore collected over three years by holding medical and engineering entrance exams. The vice-chancellor said the park would be sustained from the rent of an SBI ATM, which has been placed near the entrance to the park. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111018/jsp/northeast/story_14633662.jsp (The Telegraph ,18.10.2011) _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
