‘Tai’ community a feather in the Northeast cultural hat

GUWAHATI - Very few countries in the world have as ancient and diverse culture as India, stretching back to over 5000 years.

India’s culture has been enriched by successive waves of migration, which absorbed into the country’s way of life.

The Tais people of Mongoloid origin from southeast Asia, can be found in the northeast region of the country.

Most of them are settled in the Brahmaputra Valley that stretched through Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

They are grouped as Tai Ahom, Tai Khamyang, Tai Khamti, Tai Phake, Tai Aiton and Tai Turang.he Tai Ahom, who form a dominant group in term of their number are concentrated in the Upper Assam districts.ince 1981, the Tai people from the northeast have been meeting regularly to preserve their culture, language and manuscripts.

They carry out processions to spread the message of oneness among different tribes and communities of the region.

They also proudly bear the national flag, and shout slogans like ‘Vande Maataram’ and ‘Bharat Maata ki Jai’ to send a message of unity and brotherhood.

“Communities coming together for identity is unique and community concerned about the future of the youth is another important thing and any tribe, any community ignoring about the identity, language and also their tribe and customs will definitely lost the future,” said A Wati, a Tai from Nagaland.

At Damchao Gamdhar Konwar Kshetra in Jorhat, the three-day annual general session of Tai Sahitya Sabha held an open meeting to discuss the issues and problems related to Tai community. ommunity leaders have discussed ways to revive, preserve and develop the Tai language, customs, traditions and literature.

“There are other issues relating to the Tai people also discussed and many other issues we have discussed and they are solved. Some of the issues are yet to be solved. We are putting our heads together to find out solutions to various problems,” said K. Dehingia, president, Poorvanchal Tai Sahitya Sabha.

The Tai community plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the region. By Apem Kamongdong (ANI)