Lakhimi Jogendranath Chutia
Mrinmoy K Sarma**
Abstract:
Cultural tourism is an emerging form of tourism in developing countries rich in tangible and intangible aspects of culture like local customs, art, craft, and architectural heritage. New tourism products are developed by blending these resources and are presented to the tourists. Products that include the culture, art and craftsmanship of the local people seem to have positive economic impacts in their lives. At the same time destinations get a rebranding as cultural tourism destinations enhancing a region’s global image. For a region like Sivasagar which is rich in such heritage developing new attractions based on these resources can be beneficial for the local people and traditional artisans. This paper basically focuses on the cultural and architectural heritage of Sivasagar and tries to identify two prominent craft works namely the Mishing textiles and Mask craft as attractive components for developing successful community based cultural tourism products in the region.
Keywords: Cultural tourism, crafts heritage, Sivasagar, Assam
Introduction:
Culture is a part and parcel of a community capital. It relies heavily on the local artifacts and other visible heritage. Cultural tourism can become an important contributor to the growth of income and opportunities for local people if available attractions are combined and marketed well for the visiting guests. Countries like Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia in the South East Asia region stand out as a hotspot for cultural tourism. Here, local heritage like craft, culture, architecture and folklore is packaged as tourism products for the authenticity seeking tourists. Cultural tourism in these regions is no more only about visiting monuments and architectural sites, but is more about experiencing the way of life of the local people and consuming their art and folk craft.
In India, ‘Gods’ own country’, Kerela, has been promoting itself as a cultural tourism destination by harnessing its folk wealth1. The colourful Kathakali craft and art form is blended uniquely and presented to the tourists2 along with other attractions of the place. Cultural tourism is a pivotal role player in regions like Bankura and Malda in West Bengal. Here tourists are provided the opportunity to engage with the traditional terracotta making artisans along with a monumental tour of Bishnupur. Tribal living is showcased in such cultural expeditions3. In Gujarat, the much arid Kutch, its otherwise dry life and its sand dunes are promoted as a heaven for culture seekers based on its tribal life, folk costumes and its intricate embroidery works and mesmerizing folk music. Tourist won’t spare a chance to visit these tribal villages where all colours are placed together in a platter. These activities and cultural resource harvesting has successfully changed the economic life of a few thousand local tribesmen who otherwise would have stayed aloof from the pleasures of the world.
It is thus culture, in all its glory and form, which may pull the tourists to visit destinations and spend time and money. Sivasagar, the ancient capital of Assam during the Ahom reign, steeped in history and culture offers a lucrative proposition for the development of cultural tourism in Assam. Its cultural resources in the form of architecture, monuments, folk art and craft and spell-binding tribal heritage scattered across the banks of its alluvial rivers must be considered as one tool of development among many. The indigenous Mishing community and the mainstream Assamese community lifestyle and their ‘concealed’ crafts can provide additional anecdotes for tourists looking for exotism and cultural satisfaction.
This article works towards the direction of establishing propositions for bringing these cultural splendours to the tourist platter for the local economic development as a case study in the Sivasagar district of Assam.
Information used in this article is gathered from field works at different points of time, principally visiting craft rich areas like Disangmukh, Dikhowmukh and Dihingmukh in Sivasagar district.
The Cultural Majesty and Heritage of Sivasagar:
Sivasagar has a number of architectural buildings and monuments dating back to many centuries. Some of the most prominent architectural heritages from the Ahom reign are the seventeenth century Shiva Dol considered as one of the highest Shiva shrines in the country, a majestic entertainment house called the ‘Ronghar’ and the palace Talatal ghar adding further resplendence to the might of the Ahom Kings. Other historic creations are the Vishnu Dol, Joy Dol and Devi Dol and the marvellous palace ‘Karenghar’ at Gargaon near Nazira each narrating the bygone era of Sivasagar in its own way. Also the burial grounds for the royal family members at Charaideo have always fascinated the historians for its magnificent build and style.
To add further grandeur to these historical assets, Sivasagar has a mesmerizing confluence of several communities and cultures living in harmony since centuries. The Mishing tribe, one of the largest in Assam, is spread across the plains of Assam. The alluvial plains of rivers Dikhow, Disang, Demow and Dihing have been the abode to the colourful Mishings in Sivasagar ever since they migrated to the plains from the hilly terrains. Mishings have their own peculiar lifestyle. Their stilted houses called ‘Chang Ghars’ with bamboo flooring and wooden columns and thatched roofs facing the rivers present an enchanting view of their simple way of living in symphony with nature. An apparent image of a traditional tribal village reflects when one sights the innate artisans playing to the beats of their traditional looms under the stilted houses and weaving spell binding fabric pieces. Here artisans have spontaneously adapted intricate tribal costumes to match with the frenzy of the modern world. One can easily find conventional ‘Mibu Galuk’ customized into modern jackets, knee length ‘kurtas’ and shirts for the males; ‘Gero’ and ‘Ribi Gacheng’ converted into stoles and ladies ‘Dupatta’ and Eges stitched into ‘Kurta-Pyjamas’. The Mishing artisans have sophistically modified their ‘Gasor’ or ‘chadar’ to newer versions like ‘Thek’. These embellished and narrowed down edition of the Gasor is a highly sought after textile product within the community members. Such a craft renaissance can catch attention of any avid craft admirer and a souvenir seeker. Further, a few minutes at some Mishing home and a cup of locally made rice beer ‘Apong’ in these houses in the air would enthral the spirit of any visitor. Annual festivals like ‘Ali-Aye-Ligang’ and ‘Porag’ add further vibrancy to their mesmerizing culture. One could see the Mishings wearing colorful textiles during such celebrations.
Glancing into the predominant and co-existing Assamese culture would reveal another marvel of the cultural history of Sivasagar. The roots of the cultural renaissance of the 15th-16th century propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva spread as far as Sivasagar. A radiant chapter of the Vaishnavite culture unfolds itself in the Khatpar and Katonipar Sattras or monasteries in Sivasagar. The tradition of Mukha or mask craft is richly preserved here just like its counterpart in Majuli (Majuli is the river island in the midst of the river Brahmaputra in Jorhat district of Assam. It is the abode of the Vaishnavite movement in Assam propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva during the 15th – 16th century). Enthusiasts can learn the art of mask making in the workshop of the traditional artisans. Of sublime nature are the theatrical plays or mukha bhaonas played in the Sattras conceptualized and nurtured from the epics or writings of the saint-reformer Sankardeva. A typical theatrical play can run as long as 5-7 hours enough to hold breathe of an audience seeking cultural wisdom.
Source of images: Deuri (2013), Interactive Design Study Report, 2013, DCS MSME Scheme
Masks of various sizes of mythological characters as well as of citizens and nobility are made to depict the stories and sequences in the plays5. This craft tradition is solely recognized for the consumption of the community members during religious occasions like the bhaonas but in Majuli where touristic commercialization of the masks has been a success. Besides the traditional crafts, Sivasagar also presents a panorama of enigmatic customs and rituals and graceful folk dance traditions. Blessed with such wonders, cultural tourism can become a lucrative proposition for the ever welcoming community of Sivasagar.
Developing tourism products for local economic enrichment
Crafts such as textiles and masks and other arts along with ancient architectural expressions, if presented well to the tourists, can greatly contribute to their travel experience and hence enhance the prospects of cultural tourism. Also, developing such touristic products and routes encompassing these heritages can increase participation of local community. However, at present, the prospects of cultural tourism in Sivasagar are in subdued form. At times when local communities in countries like Thailand are prospering from the concept of ‘Touristic craft Ribbons’6 and touristic site ribbons, Sivasagar with cultural abundance is still a place less travelled by national and international tourists compared to other tourist destinations like Kaziranga and Guwahati in Assam. Final Report on 20-year Perspective Tourism Plan for the State of Assam by the Government India7 highlighted that the number of Domestic and Foreign tourists to Kaziranga and Guwahati is the highest while it is very less or almost nil in Sivasagar. The compound growth rate statistics show that tourist inflow to Assam in the coming years will increase significantly but how far shall Sivasagar receive its share of tourists depends to a large extent on the tourism products that it offers.
Researchers (Kim & Litrell8; Cohen4; Anderson & Litrell9; Hu & Yu10) worldwide believe that shopping is a principal activity during a travel. Final Report on 20-year Perspective Tourism Plan for the State of Assam by the Government India5 shows that on an average tourist spend around 16% of their budget expenditure on shopping. Tourists definitely like to take back a craft item or any such item as a memorabilia of their cultural, natural or leisure expeditions. However, shops selling local crafts are a rare sight at tourist sites in Sivasagar as the space have been taken away by enterprising marketers selling variety of products except something that can be termed as a local souvenir. Developing craft ribbons on line with the craft ribbons of Thailand and Pipli of Orissa can offer ample opportunities for the Mishing craftsmen living near the areas of Dikhowmukh, Disangmukh, Demowmukh and Dihingmukh. The Mishing tribe has adapted their clothing to the modern taste of their internal audience. At present, their reach to the external audience such as tourists is limited. Research shows that tourists are one of the main consumers of textile products. The report Survey of Foreign Tourists’ Expenses conducted by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India12 in the year 2002 highlights that among all the different types of handicrafts, silk and other textile products constitute the highest share of tourist expenditure on crafts. Hence, developing craft tourism in the tribal hamlet in Sivasagar can become a viable option for economic development of the tribal community. Such projects can bring their skills and creativity to the forefront which otherwise remains secluded to a large extent. Craftsmanship will get further breather if their customized clothing can attract the souvenir seeker’s gaze. Tourists coming to Sivasagar will get a chance to interact with the local people and at the same time will be able to shop, thereby bringing revenue flow to the people. This, in turn, will increase the cohesion between craft and tourism sector promoting Sivasagar as a cultural tourist destination. Array of craft shops called craft ribbons in literature terms can itself become tourist attractions in their own right4 in later stages.
A real cultural tourist will definitely admire craftsmen sculpting a mask or weaving a traditional fabric on the loom in a traditional workplace. A visit to Karenghar and Charaideomaidams along with a short trip to the workshops of the traditional mask making artisans of the Sattras in Sivasagar can also shape the experience of tourists to the destination. Artisans may feel encouraged to practice the craft when they can make money selling replicas of these crafts as souvenirs. But to the contrary such masks products are hardly found in any shops in the nearby towns despite its strong connection to the culture of the region. Unless such crafts are presented to the tourist consumer, it shall remain in grave danger of extinction. Tourism can revive the dying mask craft and culture of Sivasagar if it undergoes sustainable commoditization for its relevance in the tourism market. Masks made of light materials like bamboo and clay can become sought after souvenirs if certain features like size, shape and weight and easy portability are kept in consideration. Local craftsmen of Majuli in Assam are successfully marketing their Vaishnavite masks by customizing them and making them tourist friendly. A successful souvenir market can, thus, thrive on such existing craft products in Sivasagar.
Blending other elements like folk dance and folk performance can yield substantial results for a craft and culture rich society. The theatrical plays or ‘Bhaonas’ depicting mythological stories can garner tourist attention to the otherwise ‘silent’ Khatpar and Katonipar sattras of Sivasagar. These plays which are staged annually or during serious religious occasions require a troupe of 20-30 artisans. Promoting commoditized plays for tourists can provide income source to the talented artisans of the community. Similarly, harnessing the festivities like ‘Porag’ and ‘Ali-Aye-Ligang’, the harvesting and sowing festivals of the Mishing community which falls during tourist calendar can be a fruitful option.
Conclusion:
Folk crafts showcasing human creativity can become an important contributor to the local economy. Employing local artisans who are preserving the heritage through community participation can build a sense of pride and at the same time yield economic benefits. There is a vast pool of cultural attractions like architecture, craft and art available in the historical land of Sivasagar. Unfortunately, these resources have remained widely fragmented, particularly its rich folk craft. Attempts are required to encourage utilization of these creative expressions by engaging local artisans in the tourism development process. Crafts combined with other cultural resources can become attractive tourism products. It has the potential to engage both the craftsmen and the tourists fostering positive socio-cultural outcomes. Stakeholders like local community, government bodies, etc. can play a pivotal role in developing craft ribbons for further prospects of cultural tourism in Sivasagar.
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