Barak Valley’s Handicraft and Organic Products
Assam is the melting point for handicraft, organic products and Barak valley of Assam is no exception to it. This is a must visit place for those who like to enjoy shopping. You can indulge yourself in buying handicraft items and jute products from the local markets here at a very nominal price.
Do you know about Barak Valley Assam:
Barak Valley is in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The place is named after the Barak River. This valley mainly consists of three administrative districts namely, Cachar (Silchar), Karimganj and Hailakandi.
Silchar is the most important town in the region. Barak Valley is the land of diverse anthropological races and communities, ethnicities, castes and class differences, heterogeneous cultural practices, languages, religious practices etc. In different periods of history, different communities migrated here from different regions of the world. So, the valley is like a living archive of diverse communities where the diversities co-exist together. Some names of the ethnic communities living here are Kachari, Barman Kachari, Manipuri, Hmar , Ahom, Bishnupriya, Manipuri, Nagamese, Dimasa, Assamese, Tea-tribes, Bengali, Marwari, Muslim, Bihari etc.
Strategic Geographical Importance
Geographically Barak Valley is the land of hills, plains and rivers. The region is surrounded by Shillong, Mizoram, Manipur and North Cachar hill districts and also shares international borders Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Myanmar. The land is decorated by 13 reserve forests and hills namely, Borail hill, Bhuvan hill, Jaintia hill and Blue mountain.
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Why is it Famous For
The valley is mainly famous for bamboo, tea cultivation and natural organic resources. Barak valley is very rich in terms of its natural resources pertaining to flora and fauna and also inhabited by numerous aboriginal tribes.
For time in memorial Barak valley, has been considered as the hotbed of ethenic group and cultural traditions. This rich and diverse cultural heritage has given rise to a strong local community. The rich cultural heritage is reflected through the indeginous handicraft of the region. The most noteworthy handicraft from the region encompasses bamboo and cane products, to masks, wood carvings, textiles, earthen ware to local spices.
A famous example of handicraft from Barak valley is the Assamese bamboo basket from Silchar district. This has a square base that is capped inwards so that the corners of the square act as a support and it has a wide mouth. It is generally used for storing betelnut.
Natural Organic Resources in Barak Region :
- Bhut Jolokia
- Citrus Macroptera
- Kidney Bean / Rajma
- Juicy Lemon
- Hidol – one of the most famous traditional food items. It is a kind of dry fish chutney. It is also beneficial for arthritis, high pressure and few other related things. Ethnic dry fermented fish.
- Bamboo roots are one of the most delicious and traditional food items across the valley. It is available during the monsoon season.
- The queen variety of pineapples in Lakhipur,Cachar is one of the sweetest in taste, the fruit is found across North east India.
- Ginger is one of the most important cash corp in the valley. It is cultivated without the use of manures, fertilizers & pesticides.
Also Read: https://nomadlawyer.org/guwahati-assam-exploring-street-vegetable-market/
NomadLawyer Connection:
Under the initiative “ShopLocal”, the NomadLawyer team has collaborated with the farmers in the region through volunteers like Jahid Ahmed, in promotion of indegeous and traditional products. We believe that the indegeous product reaches the world.
Also Read: https://nomadlawyer.org/shop-local-an-initiative-by-nomadlawyer/
By this concept the people at the grassroots level will reap the benefits and there will be no middle man. The Shop Local initiative has come into existence to support local business and community.
Why Shop Local
There are far-reaching advantages to deciding to “shop local.” By supporting local businesses, you are in turn supporting your local economy. This means that more money stays in the community when purchases are made at locally owned – rather than nationally owned – businesses
How to reach:-
Airways
The nearest airport to Karimganj is Kumbhirgram(near Silchar – in Cachar district)at a distance of 83 km from Karimganjtown(48 km from Badarpurghat)serves as the major communication link point for the people of Karimganj.
Railways
The nearest railhead is at Karimganj served by several express and local trains.Badarpur, in Karimganj district is still now the major railway junction and main hub in the entire Barak Valley and southern Assam.
Roadways
The National Highway No.44 passes through the district.It starts from Shillong in Meghalaya and after passing through Karimganj, goes up to Agartala in Tripura state. There is bus service from Guwahati to Silchar.
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Inputs from partner of NomadLawyer, Jahid Ahmed. Jahid, is an expert on Bamboo, Cane, Silk , Traditional & Organic Resources in Cachar, Silchar (Barak Valley), Assam.
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