Assam

Assam's capital is Dispur, a city located on the outskirts of its largest city, Guwahati. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys along with the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles (78,438 km²). Assam is surrounded by six of the other Seven Sister States: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. These states are connected to the rest of India via a narrow strip in West Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor or "Chicken's Neck". Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh; and cultures, peoples and climate with South-East Asia – important elements in India’s Look East policy.

Festivals of Assam

Bihu

Bihu is the most important festival of Assam. It is celebrated with joy and abundance by all Assamese people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, faith and belief.

Three Bihus are celebrated in a year: Bohag Bihu which augurs the wish for a good harvest because this is the time when farmers start sowing, Kaati Bihu which is observed to mark the cutting and binding of grains and Magh Bihu which marks the season of harvesting of grains.
 
 Me-Dum-Me-Phi

The most important Ahom festival which deserves mention is the Me-Dum-Me-Phi, i.e., the ancestor worship festival which is observed by the whole Ahom community. This is performed annually on the 31st of January and helps to develop social contacts and community feelings among the Ahoms. Colourful processions with devotees in traditional finery are also taken out on the occasion.

Baishagu

 Famous for its myriad colours and merriment, 'Baishagu' is generally celebrated by the Bodo Kacharis during mid April. It is the most cherished festival of the Bodo tribe. The Bodos also celebrate it as a springtime festival at the advent of the new year.

Ambubachi Mela

Is the most important festival of Kamakhya temple of Guwahati and is held every year during monsoon (mid-June). It is a ritual of austerities celebrated with 'Tantric rites'.
During Ambubashi the doors of the temple remain closed for three days. It is believed that the earth becomes impure for three days. During this time no farming work is undertaken.
Ambubachi mela is held at the Kamakhya temple, after being closed for the afore-mentioned three days. On the fourth day only the devotees are allowed to enter inside the temple for worship. Thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad visit this mela.

Educational Institutes



Assam has five Universities, four Govt. Engineering colleges and three Govt. Medical colleges.


Gauhati University, Guwahati

Established in 1948 under the Gauhati University Act, 1947 (Assam Act, XVI of 1947), Gauhati University is the first University in North East India.

The campus area of the University is lush green and pollution free and the area in and around the Univeristy houses a population of about 5000 including the 3000 students residing in the 22 halls of residence.
   
     

Facilities such as parks, playgrounds, auditorium, indoor stadium etc. are available in the campus.

The University is conveniently located at Jalukbari within the Guwahati city area. It is 10 kms from the Borjhar International Airport on National Highway No. 37 and 10 kms from Guwahati Railway Station. The capital complex of Assam at Dispur is 22 kms away from the University.

Assam University, Silchar

Assam University came into existence through Assam (Central) University Act, 1989 (Act. No. XIII). It was established in 1994.    

Since it's inception, the University is steadily becoming an excellent centre of learning. With it's 120 plus multi-disciplinary faculty from all over the country, the University sustains a complete approach to higher education.

The University has eight Schools on major disciplines. They are Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Information Sciences and Management Studies. There are 24 Departments under these eight Schools.

The campus, situated in Dargakona, about 20 kms from Silchar in South Assam, is set amid scenic hills. The 600 acres of the Univeristy campus is surrounded by lakes and mountains providing an ideal and peaceful environment for academic pursuit.

The five districts under the jurisdiction of Assam University have as many as 51 Undergraduate Colleges, which speak of the depth of the intellectual and educational interests in the region.

The Assam Agricultural University
   
Was established in 1969 under the Assam Agricultural University Act l968 (Assam Act XXIV of l968) vide Governor's notification LJL l8/67/l0 dated the 2nd January l969.
The University has ben set up to educate people in agriculture and other allied branches of learning, furthering the advancement of learning and prosecution of research in agriculture & other allied sciences in addition to undertaking the extension of such sciences specially to the rural people of the state.
The University has a number of campuses with its headquarters located at Borbheta, about 5 km from both bus station and railway station of Jorhat town, which is well connected to Guwahati, the capital of Assam by air/bus/train.

There are six Directorates under the Assam Agricultural University. They are the Directorate of Research (Agriculture), the Directorate of Research (Veterinary), the Directorate of Extension Education. the Directorate of Post Graduate Studies, the Directorate of Students' Welfare and the Directorate of Physical Plant.

Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh

The easternmost University of India, it was set up in 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly.
It is a teaching-cum-affiliating University with limited residential facilities. The University has been accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with an institutional score of 71% (B grade). It is a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The Degrees conferred by this :University are recognised in India and abroad on a reciprocal basis.

The University is situated at Rajabheta, about 5 kilometers from Dibrugarh town in the eastern part of Assam and is well linked by road, rail, air and waterways to Guwahati and the rest of the country. The University Campus extends over an area of more than 500 acres of which 60 acres are still covered under tea plantation.

The territorial jurisdiction of Dibrugarh University covers seven districts of Upper Assam, Viz., Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur.

Tezpur University, Tezpur

Was established by an Act of Parliament (Act. No. 45, 1993) in 1994. The University is primarily a residential one with the campus spread over an area of 242 acres. It is located at Napaam, about 15 kms. from Tezpur town which is well linked by road and rail with the rest of the state and the country. There is also a bi-weekly flight service between Kolkata and Tezpur.

The Student Teacher ratio in this University is one of the lowest in the country, which means closer attention to the student. The average class size is about 25 and hence the classroom environment is entirely cohesive for one-to-one discussions.

The Univeristy offers scholarships to the meritorious students in various categories viz. Govt. Scholarship for SC/ST/OBC/MOBC students, National Scholarship and Organisational Scholarship such as Williamson Magor’s Scholarship, NEC Scholarship, DBT Scholarship, Jindal Trust Scholarship etc.
 
Assam Engineering College

Bordered by the Deepor Beel, a vast natural Wetland now declared a bird sanctuary, and set amidst the lush green hills on the outskirts of Guwahati city, Assam Engineering College campus offers a tranquil and pollution free environment conducive to study.

Established in the year 1955, this is the first undergraduate engineering college in northeastern India and has been the hub of many intellectual and extra-
   
curricular activities in Assam for almost half a century. The discpilines of engineering offered by this college are Civil, Chemical, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical, Electronics and Telecommunications, Industrial & Production, Instrumentation and Mechanical. It also offers a three year post-graduate course leading to a Masters in Computer Applications (MCA) degree.

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati   

This premier institute of engineering, science and technology is the sixth member of the IIT fraternity established in the year 1994. The academic programme of IIT Guwahati commenced in 1995.

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, currently has eleven departments covering all the major engineering and science disciplines, offering B. Tech., B. Des., M. Tech., Ph.D. and M.Sc. programmes. Within a short period of time, IIT Guwahati has been able to build up

the necessary infrastructure for carrying out advanced research and has been equipped with state-of-the-art scientific and engineering instruments.

Located on a sprawling 285 hectares plot of land on the north bank of the river Brahmaputra, it is about 20 kms. from the heart of Guwahati city. Beautifully set in an ambience perfect for learning with the majestic Brahmaputra on one side and lush hills and vast open spaces on the others, the infrastrucutre boasts of state of the art facilties.

Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat

Was established in the year 1960. The College is affiliated to the Dibrugarh University and is also recognized by A.I.C.T.E.. It offers Undergraduate Courses in Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering and Instrumentation Engineering.

Post Graduate Courses offered are Master of Computer Applications (MCA) and Production & Industrial Engineering.

The college is located at a distance of 3 km from Jorhat Town and 8 km from Jorhat Airport. Jorhat is well connected to Guwahati and the rest of the country by bus, road, rail and air.


Regional Engineering College, Silchar

Established in the year 1967, this college is affiliated to the Assam Univeristy (a central university under ACT Xlll). Located in Silchar, in the Cachar district of Assam, the campus is set amidst a peaceful, green and pollution free environment.

REC Silchar maintains a high degree of quality in the field of engineering and sciences. Along with teaching, sponsored projects are carried out by the faculty and students in addition to offering consultancy to the industries in that region

Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh

Assam Medical College was formally established on November 3, 1947 at Dibrugarh. It was earlier known as Dr. John Berry White Medical School, which was established in 1902. It has the distiction of being the first medical college in the entire North-eastern region of India. It now serves as the tertiary medical referral centre for the entire upper Assam as well as the some areas of neighbouring states, especially Arunachal Pradesh.    

The college is set in the midst of several tea estates and the buildings are remnants of the original British architecture, although several new constructions have come up recently under the joint collaboration of both the North Eastern Council and State Government to upgrade the college to a premier medical institution once again.

In addition to the medical courses, also available are paramedical courses, viz. Nursing and Midwifery and Diploma in Pharmacy.

Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati

With increasing demands for health care and health education, the need for more medical colleges in Assam was keenly felt. On the 20th September, 1960, the functioning of the Gauhati Medical College was formally inaugurated.

Affiliated to the Gauhati University, The Gauhati Medical College has enjoyed a prestigious status in the country for its academic pursuits and patient care. It is also a referral centre for speciality and superspeciality treatment.
   

Superspecialities provided are Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Urology, Paediatric Surgery and Plastic Surgery.

Silchar Medical College & Hospital, Silchar

    The Silchar Medical College and Hospital was established in the year 1968. Since its inception, the SMC Hospital has been serving the entire southern part of Assam and its neighbouring states like Mizoram, North Tripura, West Manipur and South Meghalaya. The Silchar Medical College & Hospital remains the only referral hospital in the southern part of Assam.

In 1977-78, the main hospital building complex at its permanent site was commissioned and this huge three-storied hospital building houses it's many departments including their out-patient departments (O.P.D.), wards, operation theatres, x-rays centres, laboratory facilities etc.

Courtesy
http://assamgovt.nic.in/index.asp