Srimanta Shankardev Tithi
31stAugust, 2019
Being a school holiday on Sunday, VKV Dibrugarh celebrated the death anniversary (punya tithi or Tirobhav) of Srimanta Sankardev a day before the actual tithi i.e on 31st August, 2019 in the Vidyalaya campus. As has been the tradition year after year, all the students and teachers gathered together and began the celebration with the daily prayer.
Our senior most teacher Smt. Rajkumari Sharma didi welcomed our chief guest Su. Meera Kulkarni didi, Assam Pranth Sanghatak, Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari . After her felicitation a group of students performed “Gayan-Bayan” (a traditional performance of the Vaishnav Sattriya tradition) in praise of Srimanta Sankardev. The singer is called ‘gayan’ and the instrument players are called ‘bayan’. Su. Meera Didi gave a speech on the significance of the day in which she described Sankardev’s life, his works and teachings. His great works include a devotional poem “Karatala Kamala Kamala Dala Nayana” (Thy palm is like the lotus; Thine eyes are like the lotus petals) which was one of his very first writings. This poem is of great significance as it contains no swarasihnas (vowel sound except ‘O’ followed by a consonant sound in a word in Assamese). Srimanta Sankardev was the founder of Eksaran Naam Dharma and Vaishnavism in Assam. His contribution to literature, art and culture, dramatics and social sphere brought about Vaishnavite movement in Assam.
After Meera didi’s valuable speech a group of students performed a Sattriya dance. The entire audience remained glued to their seats.
The finale performance was a Diha Naam by the teachers and non- teaching staff of the Vidyalaya. The echoes of which reverberated the entire campus. The program ended with the Shanti Mantra and everybody enjoyed the Assamese Prasad of “but-mogu”. It was a great way to remember the great saint. We hope this tradition will continue for eons to come.
