International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET) Volume 12, Issue 2, February 2021, pp. 237-242 Article ID: IJARET_12_02_022 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=12&Issue=2 ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499 DOI: 10.34218/IJARET.12.2.2020.022

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TOURISM IN BODOLAND TERRITORIAL REGION

Aminuz Zaman, Priyo Basumatary and Neha Jain Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Gauhati University,

ABSTRACT The present study is conducted with the objective of enlightening the scenario of event tourism and other forms of tourism which exist in BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region). Also the study focused on the status of tourism during the period of COVID19 pandemic in BTR. It has been observed that during pandemic the rural areas were the main which had attracted the tourist and kept the momentum. Among other forms of tourism, Event tourism played important role to boost the tourism sector in BTR through its new introduction of events such as Dwijing festival and Baukhungri festival. Despite of too many potential BTR is still lagging behind in tourism sector. Key words: Event Tourism, BTR, COVID19, Dwijing festival, Baukhungri festival Cite this Article: Aminuz Zaman, Priyo Basumatary and Neha Jain, Tourism in Bodoland Territorial Region, International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), 12(2), 2021, pp. 237-242. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=12&Issue=2

1. INTRODUCTION Tourism can be defined as a tour by a person to spend leisure time with family or oneself for refreshment or fun. Refreshment is important for mental peace as it helps a person to take a break from his daily hectic life. There are many choices available for a person to spend leisure time, tourism is one of them. Tourism can be of various forms such as Religious tourism, Cultural tourism, Nature tourism, Wildlife tourism, Adventure tourism, Event tourism, etc. Each form of tourism adds value to the economy of the country. It is one of the components which appear in the current account of balance of payment under heading invisibles and sub- heading services which includes travel, transportation, insurance, etc. Tourism earns foreign exchange and other positive footfall of tourist activities surplus the country’s current account which further support positive balance of payments. Hence, tourism plays important role for the growth of the economy. Tourism can also be considered as one of the factors to elevate the economy of North east India. From the past it has been seen, the North-east region is lacking behind against its peer states of the country in the sector like Industry, Commerce, Tourism and Business. On the other hand, the southern states are going beyond in all the sectors due to its coastal areas and efficient

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 237 [email protected] Tourism in Bodoland Territorial Region transport system as compared to North East Region. Though, North-east lacks Industrialization but have a lot of potential in Tourism Industry. The potential of tourism growth has not reached its capabilities to attract tourists due to various constraints such as its long dealing with insurgency, lack of Infrastructure, lack of skilled human resources, etc. These has risen fear among the potential or possible tourist within the country or from outside the country. Each of the state of North East India has their own share of potential and opportunities to attract tourists but the growth of tourist foot fall is scatter among different states. North East is a potential tourist destination of India which isn’t explored much. North East is situated in a location with Siliguri corridor in its west and hills of Myanmar in the east whereas and China in north and Bangladesh in the south. Meghalaya state of the north east region is the only state which is successfully in attracting tourists from all over India and world because of its geographical location and hilly terrain; many unique places are in the state like the highest rainfall receiving Mawsynram and many other destinations. The other states are not as much successful as Meghalaya in tourism sector unlike their potential too. Whereas other states have their own share and scope of tourist sites but are not reachable due to its primitive location and underdeveloped infrastructure. The state of has also a lot of potential of drawing tourist but isn’t as successful as Meghalaya. But there are certain regions in Assam which are successful in drawing attention of tourist through “Event Tourism” from different parts of the nation as well as from other countries. During the period of pandemic COVID19 all the economic and non economic sectors were affected along with the tourism sector has suffered due to restrictions on social activities to maintain social distance and to COVID19 guidelines. The people were locked at their home and were looking for refreshment options which were very few. At that time the people live in both urban and rural areas started to search places to visit and spend their time rather staying at home idle. Even though there was a lots of restrictions by the Government but the citizen started to explore the nature tourism available in the rural areas where the population density as well as Government restrictions were limited. The Urban areas were mostly affected and infected by COVID19 in comparison rural areas.

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE (Getz, 2008) discussed in his paper the nature, evolution and future development of ‘Event Tourism’, both in theoretical and professional practice. This paper emphasized on research paper and publication trends, and also on critical evaluation of knowledge creation, theory building, and future destinations. The perspective taken is primarily that of destinations and the tourism industry. (Jayswal, 2008) through her paper enlighten the new horizons of tourism by concept of events tourism. The paper mainly concentrated on benefits of hosting events. Three benefits are highlighted which are first - Whether Events tourism are useful to attract tourists whether a first time visitor or a repeater second - How an event and destination are co-brands and thirdly to show positive effects of events a destination.

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objectives of the present study are as follows: • To enlighten the scenario of Event Tourism in BTR. • To study the status of Tourism in BTR during the period of COVID19 pandemic.

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4. RESEARCH METHODS The study is descriptive in nature and intends to enlighten the scenario of Event tourism in BTR and also to know the status of Tourism during the period of COVID19 pandemic. The researcher has used convenience sampling method and personal observations to arrive at a conclusive finding.

5. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 5.1. Scenario of Tourism in BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) There are many tourist places in BTR. But all the places have not been successful in drawing tourists. Among all the tourist destinations in BTR, only Manas National Park is so attractive to the tourists. The following are the existing tourist hotspots in the BTR - 1. Manas National Park: Manas National park is one of the most important tourist site which is situated in Baksa district of BTR and is home to many diversified flora and fauna which includes 543 species of plants, 60 species of mammals, 476 birds, 42 reptiles, 7 Amphibians, 54 fishes and above 100 species of insects. 2. Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary: Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Golden Langur, which BTC considers to be the councils state animal. Along with Golden Langur some other animals like leopards, Himalayan Giant Squirrels, Chinese Pangolins, Jungle Cat, Burmese Rock Python are inhabitant of this sanctuary. 3. Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary: Near Manas national park there is a wildlife sanctuary called Bornadi wildlife sanctuary. It is home to hornbills, peafowl, Indian bison, Tiger, leopard, Capped- Langur, Sambar, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, Pigmy Hog, Hispid Hare, Slow Loris, Dhole and Peacock, and Elephants migrating in it. 4. Kalamati: Kalamati is a place in the west of Manas national park, where salty minerals rich black soil can be found which attracts Elephants, Gaurs and Sambar. In black stone or Kalamati, wild Dog and Hispid Hare are spotted. In every year a festival on the sands of the river bank of Kalamati is conducted named after the place. 5. Ultapani: Reverse water or Ultapani is a place which is often talked about its Butterflies, Pied Hornbills, Wild Orchids, Asian Elephants, Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Tiger, Clouded Leopard, Leopard, Golden Cat, Fishing Cat and Sambar. 6. Kachugaon Reserve Forest: Kachugaon Reserve Forest is famous for its timber treasure Sal trees and in the year 2020 it has been upgraded from a reserve forest to a national park. It offers sighting to Asian Elephants, Golden Langur, Spotted Deer, Wild Dog, Yellow Throated Marten and Peafowl. 7. Bhairabkunda, Bogamati and chowki:These places are surrounded by forest and this beauty attracts the tourist for picnic during the winter season, New Year, Christmas and any other celebrations. 8. Deeplaibeel: Deeplaibeel is a wet land, situated south to the Kokrajhar town. It is the homeland to a large number of birds both migratory and local, and also different species of amphibians are observed here.

5.2. Event Tourism in Bodoland Territorial Region Event tourism can be defined as an event organized to draw the attention of potential tourist intending to attend the event. The word ‘Event’ here means an occasion or things which are happening around. There can be many events organized in the world but an event which draws a large number of people to it and generates revenue is called Event Tourism. There are various types of Event tourism such as Cultural Event, Adventurous Event, Religious Event, Celebrity

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 239 [email protected] Tourism in Bodoland Territorial Region award function Event and Man-made events for tourism. People nowadays are organizing various events to draw tourist attention towards their beauty and natural destinations. In Assam many events are organized too, Dwijing festival and Baukhungri festival are one of the events organize in Bodoland territorial region to draw local, national and international tourists. These events have become a success to draw tourists and have evolved as one of the most happening event in the state. Event Tourism has brought growth and shown a positive sign in Tourism sector of this area. Few event festivals have been recently added as one of the new tourist attracting destinations. In the BTR area, there are mainly two main Event tourism destinations. These Events were started in the previous decade between 2011 and 2016. And this recent development in the Event tourism has light up the present tourism destinations of the state and the region which was not up to the expectation in comparison to other areas. The two main events which are successful in drawing attention are discussed below:

Dwijing Festival Dwijing festival is an annual river festival of Assam started in the year 2016 on the bank of River Aieat Chirang district. The third edition of Dwijing festival expected around 15 lakh tourists at the Event. Dwijing festival provides various pleasures to the tourists which are Cultural night, Food fair of local cuisines, Folk music, Indian classical dance, Indian traditional dance, Indigenous talents singing competition, Classical music, Pop music, Indian origin musical instruments music, Celebrity performances, Adventure sports, Creativity competition, Entertainment acts, Beauty contest for Miss Dwijing, Bodybuilding competition for Mr. Dwijing, Art exhibition, Sports- Boxing competition, Safari of Camel, elephant, horse, etc, Children centric activities, Fireworks, Indigenous music, Agricultural expo, local Gambling, mini amusement park, Hot air balloon ride, river rafting, Carnival, local product Shopping, Helicopter ride, cycle race and many more. The third edition of Dwijing festival showed participation from Bishal Sharma super dancer 2 winner, art exhibition by Wahida Ahmed of Assam, cultural performance from Thailand, Religious dance performace of African-ethnic tribe Siddi settle in the state of Gujarat, Himesh Reshamiya, Kailashkher, Shweta pandit, Lucky ali, Neeraj Shridhar, Amit trivedi, Proneeta Swargiyary, local artist along with various International artist. The festival provides a platform of earning for the people in the region by putting in to focus the business activities for the better income generation through event tourism.

Baukhungri festival or Baukhungrihajwgakhwnai The Baukhungri festival is the Event tourism destinations of BTR, Assam held on New Year according to Bodo calendar and local calendar of Assam. Baukhungrihajwgakhwnai or trekking of Baukhungri hill is an adventurous event held annually in Kokrajhar, BTR. According to English calendar it falls in the mid April. Thousands of people every year on this very day trek the hill to reach the top of the hill where there is a temple of Shiv (Hindu God) and when they reach the top they pray for better year. Prior to the event of hill trekking for mass people, one day earlier there is also a competition for professional mountain trekkers and the winners receive their prizes along with the meritorious students. The rewards distributed during this festival includes cash reward for each position holder in the HSLC & HS examination, students who gets admission in IITS, IIMS, NITS and for students pursuing PhD. The venue is under Chakrisilla wildlife Sanctuary, the home of the endangered golden langur. Besides, the sanctuary has different species of birds, reptiles and other endangered animals. Thousands of people, irrespective of caste, creed, religion and age, participate in trekking of the Baukhungri hill top on the last day of chaitra on Sankranti every year. As per Bodo unofficial story, princess

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 240 [email protected] Aminuz Zaman, Priyo Basumatary and Neha Jain diplai, daughter of King Daokha Raja, committed suicide after hearing the sad news of her beloved prince’s death during war. It is believed that one who climbs the hill once every year for three consecutive years without failure will get blessed. The festival is celebrated on the day before Bwisagu by the Bodo people and other tribes surrounding the hill. The tourism department of BTC has taken up to celebrate the traditional customs as annual festival since the last 7 years in 2019 in a grand way, by introducing various new programs and adventurous sports to attract tourists from outside or within the region. Though it was celebrated by the Bodos in a traditional way in earlier times, in present times, thousands of people, irrespective of caste, creed and religions, throng and climb the Baukhungri peak with festivity mood for welcoming the new year.

Baukhungri festival key Highlights In the Baukhungri festival people visit for variety of entertainment, food, adventure etc. The following are the key highlights to the event: • Trekking of the mountain Baukhungri, having view of the nature from the top of the hill and surrounding and spend quality time with friends and family. • Taste of local cuisines, neighbor country Bhutan’s cuisines and also of the other states of the North-east. • Chakrasila wildlife sanctuary. • Paragliding adventure is also provided • Cultural peformance by the local tribes Bodo, Assamese, Rabha, Koch Rajbanshi, Garo, Gorkali, Santali, tea tribes, etc.

5.3. Status of Tourism in BTR during the Period of Lockdown It has been seen in the initial days of COVID19 lockdown, there was a huge impact on the tourism industry due to restrictions on movement of people from one place to another place to maintain the order of social distance. The whole nation was locked and none of the civil movement was allowed during the period of pandemic. The people living in the urban areas were worst sufferers due to tight security in cities and towns whereas people in the rural areas were still moving with lesser interference from the executive personnel and the rural areas were allowed to continue their farming activities. Earlier the parks and other places of BTR were also closed. But the researcher has observed through various sources of social media that the people of urban areas has moved to the rural areas to spend their time at a place which is least populated and has lesser chance of interaction with other peoples that can decrease the chance of transmitting the virus causing corona. Meanwhile, people started to move towards those places to save themselves of being affected by corona virus. Gradually, people started to visit various tourist places which are least interfered by the authority and nearest to them. By seeing people visiting to the local tourist sites on various social media, other people from various regions also got the idea of visiting those places which are nearest to them. This leads to exploration of nearby places in rural and backward areas which helped to boost in tourism. The news that the people are having a good time while visiting a remote area spread and due to peer pressure people started visiting the sites where some people and social media influencers had visited and thus causing a boom of tourist at certain destinations of BTR area.

6. CONCLUSION During the study the researcher has observed that all the sectors were affected by COVID19 including tourism sectors. From the discussion and analysis it can be concluded that through the period of pandemic all the tourism sites in BTR were closed and people were not allowed

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJARET 241 [email protected] Tourism in Bodoland Territorial Region to visit but later on it is observed that tourist sites in BTR which are especially located in rural and backward areas and having underdeveloped infrastructures became the focal point for the local people to spend their time rather than staying at home idle. Through this study the researcher has also observed that the tourism sites which were unknown to a large number of people in various regions prior to COVID19 became popular and people started to visit those places. This helps in generating huge revenues and incomes for the local people as compared to the prior of COVID19.

REFERENCES

[1] Getz, D (2007). Event Tourism: Definition, evolution, and research. Tourism Management, Progress in Tourism Management, 403-428

[2] Getz, D. & Wicks, B. (1993). Editorial. Festival Management & Event Tourism, Vol. 1, No.1, pp.1-3.

[3] Getz, D., & Page, S J (2016). Progress and prospects for event tourism research. Tourism Management, Progress in Tourism Management, 593-631

[4] Jayswal, T (15-17 may, 2008). Events Tourism: Potential to build a brand destination. Conference on tourism in India- challenges Ahead, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, 252-262

[5] The Bodoland Autonomous Council act, 1993

[6] The Bodoland Autonomous Council (Repeal) act, 2003

[7] http://www.bodoland.gov.in

[8] http://www.dwijingfest.com

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