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'''SRIMANTA FOUNDATION FOR CULTURE AND SOCIETY'

The Srimanta Foundation for Culture and Society is a charitable Trust which was formally

launched on 8 April 2003 at Guwahati. It is established with a view to work towards

upholding and preserving the abiding values of non-violence and humanism, peace and

development, human unification and social integration in Assam, the Northeast and the rest

of the country. While doing so the Foundation will emphasise upon building the ‘Knowledge

of Self’ through capacity building, skill and personality development.

THE VISION

The Vision is SRIMANTA. It is to achieve a beautiful and prosperous society enshrined in

the Bharatiya thought process.

THE MISSION

The Mission is FOUNDATION. It is to lay the groundwork based on the heritage chartered

by Chaolung Sui-kpha and Naranarayan-Chilarai in general and the humanistic ideals

propounded by Srimanta Sankardeva’s Bharat Borixe in particular. In the process we strive in

our own modest way to build the Assamese society to contribute to the larger Indian society

and the entire mankind.

NATURE OF WORK OF THE FOUNDATION

Research & Documentation: To document, in audio, video, written / printed forms, the

systems and practices prevailing in the society. While doing so undertaking research work to

understand the uniqueness, the core principles, the values, the norms which had made the

Assamese society evolve to its present state and learning thereof what will lead us further to

evolve in a harmonious society.

Preservation & Promotion: To preserve and further promote the distinctive arts, crafts and

literary traditions both classical and folk which has made the Assamese as a community.

Further through research and innovations to identify practices and systems which can be

presented to the humanity.

Training & Education: To build capacity both at the individual and community level

through need based training and education. Traditional skills, transfer of skills, strengthening

of skills, natural roles, community work and holistic thinking will be the key areas for

training and education. Designing need-based training programmes and educational curricula

will be done.

Socio-economic: To build up community based production systems promoting production by

masses and the economic well-being of the community. Concepts of micro-economics,

cultural economics and Swaraj will be discussed to promote quality life, happiness and

sustainable living.

Need Based Programmes: These programmes will be designed aiming at inter-community

amity, conflict resolution, awareness and motivational programmes, exposure and field visits,

skill development and other personality development programmes.

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

The Trust is organized in a three level structure with the Board of Trustees as the highest

body of authority to manage its activities in collaboration with the second level (Council of

Members) which is advisory in nature. Finally the activities will be implemented with the

direct involvement of the cutting-edge component which is the third level, the Sanskritik

Missions. This being the implementing Agency on ground, is the primary focus area of the

Trust.

BOARD OF TRUSTEE

The Board of Trustee is a four member team which is the highest decision making body.

With inputs from the Council of Members and the Sanskritik Missions, the Trustees plan and

decide on the work of the Trust. The Trustees meet once in six months to review and plan the

work of the Trust.

COUNCIL OF MEMBERS

The second level of the organization is its Council of Members (COM). This council is

composed of prominent members of the civil society with major contributions to socio-

economic, literary and cultural space and two representatives of the respective Sanskritik

Missions. This COM is conveyed by the Trustees and is advisory in nature. It meets once in

six months to plan and formulate the work of the Trust in order to pursue the Vision, Mission

and Objectives of the Trust.

SANSKRITIK MISSIONS

The Sanskritik Missions are the Chapters / Primary Units of Srimanta Foundation for Culture

and Society (herein after called Srimanta Foundation) at the local level in the grassroots. The

name of the place of work becomes the prefix followed by the words ‘Sanskritik Mission’.

For e.g.,‘(Name of Place) Sanskritik Mission. This is the third and the cutting edge level of

the Trust, for it is at this level where both the inputs and implementation of the work of the

Trust takes place. The size of the respective Sanskritik Mission will depend on the coverage

of the Trust’s work at the local level and will differ from place to place. A minimum of three

members is required to form this Sanskritik Mission who will be responsible to carry out the

‘Initial Work’ planned by the trust at the local level. The Initial Work is about promoting

Sattiya (classical) art forms and folk art forms encouraging inter community Cross-Cultural

Classes at the local Chapter / Primary Unit.

METHODOLOGY OF WORK

Srimanta Foundation will strive to achieve its objectives and thereby its Vision in a mission

mode by implementing the ‘Initial Work’ at the local Chapters / Primary Unit. The Initial

Work is starting regular classes in a particular area to impart Sattriya performing art & craft

and Folk performing art form(s) as the Cross-Cultural component amongst the children and

youths. Once such regular classes gets stabilizes and there is an involvement of the guardians

and the local people, then the local Chapter / Primary Unit will be broad based and need

based structured programmes and other work will be initiated or undertaken by the Trust to

achieve its objectives.

MAJOR WORKS

Amongst the year long programmes organised by the Foundation the two major works are

Organising Setubandha –

In the growing sub-nationalist feelings amongst the ethnic communities in Assam, Srimanta

Foundation for Culture and Society in collaboration with the Asom Sattra Mahasabha, the

apex organization of the Sattras in Assam, had for the first time organized the Setubandha

Programme in September 2003 at Guwahati with the objective of arresting the alienation

feeling of the communities from the larger Assamese society. Bhaona which has been the

chief medium in this programme is a time tested vehicle to get across to the people to build

bridge. [The history of Assamese drama begins with the plays Srimanta Sankaradeva wrote in the

sixteenth century. These plays are popularly known as Bhaona and the inspiration for the dramatic

narrative is the Bhagawata. Sankaradeva blended the existing local elements with classical Sanskrit

ideals and placed them dramatically and firmly amongst the people while creating his Bhaonas.

Centering on these Bhaonas, a host of cultural activities like music, dance, songs, dialogues, acting,

costumes, direction, crafts, etc followed which bind the society together. It was this spiritual

education through entertainment amongst the masses which elevated the minds of the people to an

area which spoke of love, peace and harmony only. The main objective of these Bhaonas was to

evoke a sense of devotional fervour in the audience which ultimately led to a harmonious society.]

The first Setubandha programme held in Guwahati saw the participation of bhaona from the

Bodo artist from Tezpur, Nepali artist from Jamugurihat, Mising artist from Majuli, Sonowal

Kachari artist from Titabor, artist from the Tea-tribes of Sivasagar and general artists from

Nagaon.

After 2003 the Asom Sattra Mahasabha has been conducting the Setubandha festival at

regular intervals in different parts of Assam wherein total number of 25 Bhaonas have been

performed by communities like the Tiwa, Mising, Sonowal Kachari, Bodo, Tea-tribe, Karbi,

Rabha, Nepalee, Moran, Bengali, Chautal, Koch Rajbonshi, and Singpho during last 8 years.

All these Bhaonas have been in their original form, i.e, Brajawali, the language of the

original scriptures.

In 2012 Srimanta Foundation once again collaborated with the Asom Sattra Mahasabha to

organize Setubandha 2012. This time it was consciously designed as a social re-engineering

process with the focus of building Social Security and Capital through it with two important

innovations

(i) Performance of bhaona in Bodo and Mising language

(ii) Post Setubandha Follow-up programme

With these two innovations Setubandha 2012 was at Guwahati in March 2012, Setubandha

2013 was held at Gopalpur, Gohpur in December 2013 and Setubandha 2015 was held at

Satrasal in Dhubri district in march 2015.

Setubandha – the Process

With the innovations of Setubandha programmes since 2012, it has become very effective in

being able to forge ahead in achieving the purpose for which Setubandha was originally

designed. Further it has also proved that Setubandha is not a Programme only but a ‘Process’.

The conscious follow-up work through the practice of the performing art forms are helping us

to interact with them and such engagements are bringing us close to the people thereby

developing a very healthy relationship with them. Another very interesting development is

that because of the bhaona in Mising and Bodo language, we have identified a very important

area of building cross-cultural relationships across communities through exchange of folk art

forms of the respective communities. Therefore besides teaching the janajati communities the

Sattriya art forms which are classical in nature, the harshas or the mipaks are learning the

folk art forms of the respective communities and this is bringing the communities more close.

This process is also helping us to understand the importance of the folk art forms in today’s

dynamic environment as well as making the communities feel that their art forms are also

meaningful and significant in today’s fast changing world and they feel proud to be a part of

the larger Assamese community.

Our Publications

1. ‘Anunad : Srimanta Sankar Aru Asamiya Sanskriti’, a collection of essays on

Srimanta Sankaradeva and Assamese culture, which was edited by Prof. Ranjit Kumar

Dev Goswami and published during Setubandha 2012 at Guwahati.

2. ‘Setubandha Kari Nare’, a collection of articles on Sattras and the harmonious

relationships in the society. This book was edited by Dr Pradipjyoti Mahanta and Dr

Madhab Borah and was published during Setubandha 2013 at Gohpur.

3. ‘Xukladhwaj, Axomia Xatta, Xamannoy aru Kamata Aityajya’, the Setubandha book

edited by Sjt Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta. Having three broad sections viz., (i) Jakeri

Nahike Upam (ii) Kamatapur Goirabh Gatha and (iii) Setubandha bibidha, this was

published during Setubandha 2015