Guwahati: Bamboo has long been an integral part of everyday life in Northeast India, used in homes, handicrafts, agriculture, music and several traditional practices. Increasingly, however, the versatile material is finding applications beyond its conventional uses, entering contemporary architecture, design, infrastructure and creative industries.
This evolving role of bamboo was showcased at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, where the newly developed Terminal 2 features distinctive Bamboo Village Arrival Vaults.
The airport served as the venue for the 17th World Bamboo Day celebrations on September 18, highlighting not only the cultural importance of bamboo but also its potential as a modern and sustainable material.
World Bamboo Day was formally established on September 18, 2009, at the conclusion of the 8th World Bamboo Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, during the tenure of Kamesh Salam as president of the World Bamboo Organization. Salam, who founded World Bamboo Day, has continued to promote greater recognition of bamboo and its contribution to communities, livelihoods, culture, sustainable development and environmental conservation.
The September 18, 2026 observance marked the 17th World Bamboo Day, with bamboo-related programmes and activities reported across Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia under the broader initiative of the World Bamboo Organization.
A key highlight of the Guwahati event was the launch of From Forest to Flight, a coffee-table book by CanBoo that traces bamboo’s journey from forests and farming communities to artisans, engineers and the airport terminal.
The project illustrates how bamboo could support a wider value chain in the Northeast, connecting cultivation, processing, traditional craftsmanship, design, engineering and construction rather than limiting the material to handicrafts and other traditional applications.
The celebration also demonstrated bamboo’s versatility in creative fields. Kerala’s Vayali Bamboo Band brought bamboo-based musical instruments to the airport, while a large mural made from bamboo slivers and strips depicted the Northeast’s landscapes, wildlife and cultural heritage.
Traditional craftsmanship featured prominently through a bamboo handicrafts exhibition organised by the Northeastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation. The event also showcased Assam’s mask-making traditions through Mukha Banona and Mukha Bhaona presentations from Majuli, featuring around 50-60 masks.
Adding an environmental theme to the programme, the theatre production Jumbo – The King explored the relationship between people, wildlife and nature.
For the Northeast, bamboo represents more than a readily available natural resource. It is closely linked to generations of traditional knowledge, craftsmanship and community practices. The emerging challenge is to connect that knowledge with modern technology, processing systems, design, quality standards and expanding markets.
The Guwahati airport project provides an example of how that transition could take shape, taking bamboo from forests and farms into processing units, from artisans’ workshops to architects’ designs, and ultimately into modern public infrastructure.
While World Bamboo Day is observed annually, the broader opportunity extends beyond a single celebration: the Northeast has the potential to transform its longstanding relationship with bamboo into a modern, value-added and sustainable industry.