MV Ganga Vilas, the iconic cruise ship, docked at Dibrugarh on February 28 after travelling 50 days through various rivers of the country, with 28 Swiss tourists on board. They were received at Bogibeel Railways Tourism Terminal by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. Also present were Shripad Yeso Naik, the Minister of State of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Tourism; Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Education and External Affairs; Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Rameshwar Teli, Minister of State for Labour, Employment, Petroleum, and Natural Gas; besides Jayanta Mallabaruah, Minister, Tourism, Government of Assam, among others.
The cruise has been billed as the the world’s longest river cruise. For the record, the ship was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi on January 13.
It reached Dhubri in the State on February 17 and since then passengers on board have been mesmerised by Assam, its culture and the hospitality received by them all through.
These tourists were given a rousing welcome by the Dhubri Deputy Commissioner and Regional Director and officials of the Inland Waterways Authorities of India (IWAI) as well as officials of the Assam Tourism. They spent considerable time in stalls, especially of clay, jute and terracotta, displayed by the self-help groups of the district. A Koch-Rajbongshi dance was also performed to welcome these tourists.
After a few hours of local tour, they were taken to the Asarikandi area of the district which is known for its terracotta handicraft. The day was also marked by their visit to historical sites of the district, especially the Gurudwara dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur. The Cruise departed for Goalpara on February 18 wherein they visited the historic Surya Pahar, an archaeological site.
On February 20, it touched the shores of Sualkuchi which they toured on board several e-rickshaws. They were regaled by the traditional boat race in Sualkuchi, and traditional songs related to the boat race. On the same day, they were received at the Pandu Port by district officials and those representing the Tourism Department. These Swiss guests were also treated to Karbi and Tiwa folk dances. Kamakhya Temple, Assam State Museum, and Mayong, the nerve centre of Tantric practices, were places of importance they visited before boarding on to their onward journey to Tezpur, Biswanath, Kaziranga, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur and Majuli.
