Bagurumba is one of the traditional dances of the Bodo people from Assam – a North-Eastern state of India. This dance is associated with the end of winter and the coming of spring. Bagurumba is performed as a part of the Bodo festival called Bwishagu, which comes around the Bishuba Sankranti that in turn falls in the month of April. It is also known as the “Dance of Butterflies” as it is famous for its resemblance to the merry flights of butterflies and birds in spring. The Bagarurumba plays an important role in the Bathou Puja of the Bodo tribes and it also functions as a form of relaxation and entertainment for the village folk during the rigorous agricultural activities during the spring, for example the plantation of crops like rice.

Dance Form

The Bagurumba dances appear to be designed for and are commonly performed by the young women of the community. In the performance the dancers are energetic and enthusiastic but at the same time it also depicts the natural grace of Bodo women as they collectively create the images of butterflies in flight. Bagurumba dance has large fixed formations of Bodo women dressed in traditional and colorful attire like the Jwmgra, Aronai and Dhokna. The music is provided by Bodo musicians using the ancestral instruments of the tribe and usually the dancers chant “Bagurumba” in meter and rhythm.

Musical Instruments

Most of the traditional Bodo instruments are given below that are used to accompany the Bagurumba dances.

Siphung - It is a long five-holed flute that produces much lower notes than the regular North Indian flutes. It is also made of bamboo.

Serja – It is a bowed instrument that has a basic design with a circular resonant body and a forward facing scroll.

Tharkha – it is a piece of split bamboo used for percussion.

Kham – This is a longitudinal drum.

Khawang – These are a pair of small cymbals held together with a rope. It is similar to a Namghar.

Significance

As per the Bodo mythology, the Bagurumba dance is favored by a supreme deity called ‘Bathou’ represented by the Sizu Plant that belong to the Euphorbia Genus. The nature of the dance is peaceful and yet it represents the vitality of the spring. The origin of the Bagurumba may be found in the original naturalistic beliefs of the Bodo tribes, as its few songs are just simple images of nature.

Variations

There are only two variants of Bagurumba that are Natural and Royal Bagurumba.

While the Natural Bugurumba is performed with only instrumental music, the Royal Bagurumba performances incorporate songs and vocalist music.