Students, teachers of Assam Jatiya Bidyalay celebrate pre-Magh Bihu festival in Guwahati

Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 12 (ANI): Students and teachers of Assam Jatiya Bidyalay in Guwahati celebrated the pre-Magh Bihu festival on Monday.
Following traditional rituals, students, teachers of the institution burnt Meji and offered prayers to the God of Fire (Agni) for prosperity.
Meji is the key part of Magh Bihu celebration, which is made of bamboo, leaves and thatch.
Secretary, Assam Jatiya Bidyalay Management Committee Dr Narayan Sharma said, "In Assam we celebrate pre-Bhogali Bihu in the month of January. This is a very popular festival here for all the communities living in the state. In our school, from the very beginning, we have been trying to showcase this festival and we wish to show our culture and get our students acquainted with different varieties of Bihu culture and many traditional festivals. Many students reside in far places, so it is difficult for them to go to home and witness the Bihu festival. In our campus, in a symbolic way, we try to celebrate pre-Bhogali Bihu, where all the traditional norms and decorum, we want to show to students."
Magh Bihu is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam, which marks the end of the harvesting season in the local month of Magh during mid-January, and the people of the state have celebrated the festival with community feasts after the annual harvest.
Meanwhile, Northeast India's largest dairy cooperative, Purabi Dairy, celebrated pre-Magh Bihu at its dairy processing plant in Panjabari, Guwahati, on Monday, marking a year of strong growth, wider farmer participation and expanding presence across Assam's dairy landscape.
Officials of the West Assam Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Ltd (WAMUL) highlighted that Purabi Dairy has grown from strength to strength over the past year, registering a significant increase in milk production and procurement, along with steady expansion of its cooperative network.
The number of Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS) under Purabi has increased during the year, while the cooperative dairy system has also strengthened considerably in Upper Assam, bringing more farmers into the organised dairy fold and ensuring stable income opportunities at the grassroots level.
"Purabi Dairy's focus has always been farmer-first growth. By strengthening procurement systems, expanding our cooperative base and improving market access, we are ensuring that dairy farming becomes a more reliable and sustainable livelihood for thousands of rural families across Assam," WAMUL Managing Director Sameer Kumar Parida said.
During the year, Purabi Dairy also expanded its product portfolio with the launch of Purabi Traditional Indian Sweets, receiving an encouraging response from consumers. Value-added products such as flavoured milk and ice cream continue to witness strong demand, while longer shelf-life products like UHT milk have enabled Purabi to reach newer and more distant markets. (ANI)