Celebrating Unity (Special Mention - 2024)

Celebrating Unity: How City Fairs Foster Cultural Exchange and Social Inclusion Across Generations

A fair in my city? Oh, what a dream come true! It has been a long while since my city,  Guwahati, has had what my grandfather calls ‘a fair’. As a kid, I was only interested in comic  books, and hence only waited for the annual book fair. However, my grandfather deeply  regards a fair as a festival which brings together people from all over the city, and also says  that with the growth of malls, cafés and futuristic technologies, the new generation has  never seen a fair of that caliber. And that’s so true! I have been longing to be a part of  such an event in which people from all over the city and state come and be a part of the fun-filled journey such as the fair.  

If I were to organize such an event in my city, I would prefer it to be in the Maniram Dewan  Trade Centre, which is a spacious site, situated in the Bethkuchi region of Guwahati, Assam.  It may not be in the heart of the city and people might have to travel a little, but I want it to  be away from any fancy malls, cafés and such distractions. So, I feel the trade center would  be an ideal location.  

And why would people prefer to travel and be a part of it instead of watching it in the local  news channels? Let me tell you! 

Guwahati, known as the Gateway of North-East India, is the Heart of Assam. It shows a  sprinkle of westernization intertwined with its cultural serenity. These two aspects, when  brought together in an event, would appeal to both younger and older generations.  Moreover, it would provide us with an opportunity to showcase not only Assam’s, but the  culture and traditions of the states which form the North-East as a whole to our kids and  beloved visitors, who I would like to believe will be coming from throughout India as it would  be an opportunity for them to witness the cultural diversity of our region, which is otherwise  confined in books and only read about.  

Talking about the duration, I would like the fair to be at least 7 days long! No less, after all, it  will be the greatest in the city! 

I am thinking of starting the fair with an exhibition of pictures and artefacts of our pilgrimage  sites. This is because people all over India knows that Guwahati is the home to an ancient  Hindu Pilgrimage site, the Kamakhya Temple. But people, sometimes even from Guwahati, are not able to visit the temple because of hustle and bustle of their busy lifestyle. The  exhibition thus will be a way for us to provide them a fragment of the holy feeling of the  temple. Many are also unaware of the fact that near Guwahati lies a small town named Hajo, in which the Poa Mecca and the Hayagriva Madhava Temple are important pilgrimage  sites for our Muslim and Buddhist brothers respectively. Such an exhibition would lead to many  people knowing about them, and it would help in upholding a sense of unity. Furthermore,  what could possibly go wrong for anyone who initially seeks the blessings of these sites  before exploring our fair?

Up next, I would love to set up a cultural exhibition with the theme being based on clothing  and jewellery. There will be thrift shops, which will be selling the beautiful gamochas,  traditional dresses like the Mekhela Chador, jewelleries and goods which are produced by  local entrepreneurs; people from the Sualkuchi town will be specially invited to showcase  their beautiful hand-woven silk clothing which represents the culture of Assam. We can also  adopt the concept of the Jonbeel Mela, a tradition of Assam, where people can ‘sell’ an old  piece of jewellery or any other item for a new item of the same value from the thrifts. Moreover, women from other northeastern states will also be invited to exhibited and sell  their respective creations. I think such thrifts letting people wear their folk costumes for  once at a low price for the visitors to click pictures would be an innovative idea to attract  people into trying different costumes of different cultures and traditions. Following these culture focused thrifts, we can let well-known modern brands of clothing to set up their  thrifts as well. Although I am sure the younger generation will be mesmerized after seeing  the cultural diversity that our region holds, which they have previously only read about and  these modern thrifts will only be left for us to bargain and collect the revenue from. A toy  section would also be a great inclusion for the kids to take interest in. 

Following the Cultural exhibition, a photography and artwork section could be set up. The  theme for the photography will be wildlife, and not just any wildlife, but wildlife from the  national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in Assam. This theme will allow us to showcase the  

diversity of animals we possess, increasing the scope for tourism in the state. On the other  hand, the topic for artwork can be “Beautiful Places in Assam”, thereby encouraging the  young ones to research about our state and increase their knowledge of it. And the visitors  would also enjoy the visual representation of the sites and feel the urge to visit such places  in reality. It would also be a show of talent possessed by our kids. The items displayed in this  section will be accepted in the form of photography and artwork competition with a prize  pool to enhance enthusiasm and participation. 

Next up will be the fast-food section. Oh! Have I told y’all about the variety of street food  one can find in Guwahati? No? Well then, allow me to do so. Starting from Silpukhuri to Dighalipukhuri, one can find at least a hundred street vendors who sell KFC-style fried  chicken at only 10 rupees per piece. Me and my friends refer to it as the SFC (Street Fried  Chicken). And then, we also have the great Puchkawala Dada at Ambari who is really sweet  and his Puchkas; both provide you with a sense of euphoria. Finally, at the Dighalipukhuri,  we find the spiral potatoes, famous all over the internet, and many tempting dishes like the  egg kulfi, the mewad ice cream. Having them at the food section of our fair will blow the  crowd! The SFCs, The puchkas, some cotton candy and all the items at such a low price. It  will be such a treat. Again, we will also allow some established guwahati-based fan favourite  restaurants like the Burger Tree, Street-Za and Indulge to put up their stalls. But all these  stalls must follow some rules such as – use of good quality materials, ensure proper disposal  and management of waste, less use of plastic cutlery, use of environment friendly plates and  bottles, providing clean drinking water to all and collecting the leftover food to feed stray  dogs and cats, and collecting the peels of vegetables to feed our cows and goats. After all,  we should also serve our environment as well! At the corner of the food section, we will also  set up basins for our foodie friends to wash their hands and clean restrooms to freshen themselves up.

And hence we come to the final section of our fair, which I believe should be the exhibition  of Tea, Pitha, Ladoo and other traditional food items prepared in our state. Assam is  renowned for its tea. Its numerous varieties being exhibited and sold in one place is sure to  draw the attention of many Tea-lovers, who are reluctant to even start their day without it.  Also, the Pithas and the Ladoos are hidden traditional delicacies which one can only find  during the Bihu festival. They are made using Narikol (coconut) and Til (sesame). Pair it with  the tea, some jaggery and then relish the energy that starts to circulate through your body.  That's what makes our traditional food so magical. 

And wait! The fair isn’t over yet! All the previously mentioned exhibitions and stalls will be  set up in such a way that along with a stage, they create a field with plenty of space enclosed  by them, where we will organize traditional games. The first game would be the interaction  with Bulbuli birds. Usually, these games involve a battle between the two Bulbulis, which  cause them to harm each other. Instead, why don’t we introduce a session where the young  ones and teens play with and feed food to the Bulbuli birds. Such an interaction would be  really fascinating for the people, especially the young ones and allow us to thank the Bulbuli  species for being a part of our tradition. The next game could be Tekeli Bhonga (pot  breaking) where a person holding a stick is blindfolded, and must move in the direction they  believe the pot is kept and use the stick to strike it. The one who is successful in breaking the  pot is declared as the winner. Thirdly, similar to the Bulbuli battle, our traditional games include the battle between two buffaloes. I think it would be dangerous to have an  interaction session with the buffaloes, hence we can probably organize an arm-wrestling  competition among the visitors, with each of the competitors wearing buffalo masks to  imitate the battle between the buffaloes. We can also have some small-small rides set up  especially for the small kids who will be visiting the fair with their families. 

Finally, let’s talk about the stage. An event in Guwahati with no Bihu Dance? Impossible. Let  us set up a stage in such a manner that it remains visible from any point of the ground, and  then organize a Bihu dance competition. To attract participants, we will have it inaugurated  

by our chief guest cum the amiable Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma,  lovingly called Mama. His charming and playful demeanour makes him incredibly popular, so  having him as the main guest would undoubtedly bring in a sizable crowd. We can also  request Mama to hand over the prize to the winner of the competition and give a speech on  the various competitions, the entries, and the fair as well, which will be the last piece of our  large puzzle.  

Additionally, we can reach out to our local media outlets, such as DY365 and Prag News, to  spread the word about the event. Teens can learn about and participate in the fair via an  Instagram account created by us. 

This is how I will work out the fair, as it provides us a way to break the generational and  cultural gap, bring people together and give them memories that last for a lifetime. If people  like it and a lot of them take part in it, it could become a yearly affair. Calling out people to  volunteer in cleaning up, serving stray animals with the leftovers collected from food  vendors, and donating a part of the profit generated to the poor and needy might also create a  sense of charity.

Therefore, our fair can become a legacy for the people of Guwahati as it would bring  together hundreds of people, make people aware of our beautiful home, help them enjoy  our culture and traditions while spending time with their family. It will also help us to  participate in charity and bring people joy, regardless of any economic or social background.  But wait, does it sound too good to be true? Well, I believe it can come true, or at least a part  of it. Why? Well, I don’t have a discreet answer, but maybe because it’s my city, my fun!

Author: Kaustubh Medhi

This piece is part of Nagrika’s Annual Youth Writing Contest. Through the writing contest we encourage youth to think creatively and innovatively about their cities.