Over 5,000 artistes performed Nagara Naam at Hari Mandir, Nalbari, in a massive collective effort to popularise and preserve this traditional folk art.

• The event was inaugurated by Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, who announced plans to set up a trust for the welfare and promotion of Nagara Naam artistes.
  

What is Nagara Naam?

• Nagara Naam is a folk devotional musical tradition of Lower Assam, deeply rooted in the Neo-Vaishnavite movement propagated by Srimanta Sankardev and Madhabdev.
  
• The term “Nagara” refers to a large traditional drum, while “Naam” means chanting the name of the Lord.
  
• It blends powerful drum beats, cymbals, and collective chanting of Vaishnavite verses.
  

Key features

• Performed collectively by men and women, often involving hundreds of participants.
  
• Usually held in Naamghars (community prayer halls), temple premises, and village courtyards.
  
• Performed during religious festivals, community prayers, and social gatherings.
  
• Unlike classical forms such as Borgeet or Sattriya, Nagara Naam belongs to the folk bhakti tradition—more spontaneous, rhythmic, and emotionally charged.
  
• Often described as the “heartbeat of village devotion” in Lower Assam.
  

Cultural significance

• Represents collective spirituality, where rhythm becomes prayer and music becomes meditation.
  
• Symbolises social harmony, equality, and shared devotion, core ideals of Neo-Vaishnavism.
  
• Acts as a living cultural heritage, passed orally and performatively across generations.
  

Exam Hook – 

Q. Consider the following statements about Nagara Naam:

1. It is a folk devotional musical tradition associated with the Neo-Vaishnavite movement in Assam.
   
2. It is primarily performed using large drums and collective chanting in Naamghars.
   
3. It is a classical dance form codified under the Sattriya tradition.
   

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: 1 and 2

Source