Guwahati: The Ollo people enthusiastically observed Woraang Festival at Lazu in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Speaking to the large crowd of festival goers, Namsai MLA Chow Jingnu Namchoom welcomed the Ollo community members with his Woraang greetings and added that festivals promoted love, peace, happiness, and joy.
Namchoom urged the populace to safeguard the valuable legacies that had been passed down to them from their forefathers.
He also spoke about the importance of women’s empowerment for the community’s overall growth.
Tirap DC Hento Karga, who delivered a speech at the occasion, asked the populace to protect their rich traditional culture for future generations.
The opium Kaani, which is illegal, should be replaced by cash crops under central/state-sponsored flagship programmes, he added, and he pleaded with the stakeholders to engage in agricultural, horticultural, and veterinary activities for sustainable and long-term economic stability. Opium Kaani destroys the future of the Ollo community.
The DC urged everyone to practise good health and cleanliness to prevent the spread of watery illnesses including diarrhoea and dysentery.
The festival attendees observed the rites being done at the temporary Paang.
Namchoom added that no festival for the Ollos would be more significant, grand, or important than Woraang.
Prior to that, 2023 Rangmo Ranto, President of the 12th Woraang Juku committee, emphasised the importance of the Woraang festival and mythology in his welcome speech.
The day-long events included a communal feast and folk dance performances by dancers from different Ollo village communities.