Assam woman running tea stall with remuneration from Bihu performance has CM as customer

Guwahati: A young woman from Assam running a tea stall with money earned in a record-setting Bihu performance has Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma among her customers now.

Hemaprabha Biswas was among the performers at the Bihu recital in April 2023 at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati, which has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest Bihu dance with 11,298 participants.

The state government had awarded all participants with cash reward, which Biswas used for opening a tea stall at Jakhalabanda in Nagaon district to help supplement the family income.

Her decision drew praise from the locals as well as the CM.

"Remember I told you about Hemaprabha Biswas? She participated in Assam Government's 2023 World Record setting Bihu performance and invested her financial reward to become a job creator. Well, I visited her stall today to sip some Kadak Chai and wish her good luck," Sarma posted on X after visiting her stall on Friday.

He also shared a short video clip of his visit, during which the CM was seen interacting with Biswas and enquiring about her business.

Sarma also met Prabin Saikia, who was also part of the Bihu performance and used his remuneration to invest in dairy business, the chief minister's office said.

"The CM appreciated their hard work and wished them good luck for their future endeavours," it added.

The CM had praised Biswas on the micro-blogging site earlier this month as well, saying, "Making full use of the amount, Hemaprabha Biswas from Kaliabor opened a shop to support her education and being Atmanirbhar in its true sense." "We will continue to assist our people and through our policies empower them to be self-sufficient and be torchbearers of a new Assam," he added.

Pursuing her graduation from a local college, Biswas had earlier said that though she wanted to initially buy a scooter with the money earned in the Bihu performance, she later decided to invest in the tea stall to help her family financially. She runs the stall with the help of her mother.