Birishiri is a small rural centre near Durgapur upazila headquarters. It is the centre of cultural, religious and educational activities of Garos, Banai, Koch and Hajong tribesmen.

Birishiri having good road connections is 50 kilometres from Mymensingh and 30 km from Netrakona, where there are large indigenous people's habitations.

Durgapur and Kalmakanda upazilas in Netrakona district, Dhubaura, Haluaghat and Fulbaria in Mymensingh, Modhupur and Ghatail in Tangail, and Nalithabari, Jinaigathi and Shreebardi upazilas in Sherpur district have large populations of Garo and Hajong communities.

The academy was set up in 1977 to promote cultural, educational and other activities of indigenous people in the area.

The two storied academy building has facilities to promote cultural activities of indigenous people, but those affected due to acute fund crisis, shortage of staff and other logistics. The 1000-seat modern auditorium with all modern facilities including a large stage and multi-colour lighting system in a remote area will attract any body's attention. But it is utilised on rare occasions, academy officials said while talking to this correspondent during a recent visit.

The ground floor of the main building is used as office. There is a separate rehearsal room. All four walls of the rehearsal room are covered with mirrors so that artistes can see their images on glass.

There is another spacious room for keeping old tribal artifacts. A huge collection of articles representing tribal cultural are scattered all around on the floor.

Sreejon Sangma, Research Officer at the Academy, said the objects are piled up and there due to lack of space. He said they requested the Cultural Ministry repeatedly to set up a tribal cultural museum, but to no effect.

There is also a library, but the collection of books is poor.

Its Director Mosharaf Karimsaid said cultural activities of the academy is hindered due to fund crisis. Government gives Tk 28,75,000 a year to the academy for staff salary, artistes' remuneration, development work, cultural activities and for other activities.

Of this, Tk 17,75000 is spent for staff salary. The rest Tk 11,00,000 is too inadequate to promote cultural activities of large indigenous populations of different tribes, he said.

On the other hand, the academy's development work is now stopped due to fund crisis. Mosharaf said they urged the Cultural Ministry for more grants for development work but there has been no response till now.

Many foreign NGOs are working here, who have various economic programmes for development of indigenous people. But their cultural activities can not be promoted due to lack of funds, which mainly comes from government grants.

The Garo scholars -- John Throsin Richil, Daniel R Ruran and Martin Rema -- have invented Garo alphabet which will fulfill a long cherished desire of Garo people for a full-fledged and complete Garo language.

This is a great achievement, said Sreejon Sangma. They have submitted their thesis to the academy for approval, formal declaration and development of the Garo language but nothing more can be done due to fundcrisis, he said.

The academy runs a three-year cultural course for indigenous children, which includes training on dance, song and drama. Twenty students are admitted in every session. A music teacher and a dance teacher run the courses. The students with excellent performance in training are appointed staff artistes, who get a nominal honorarium.

Staff shortage hampers its activities. Though three posts of Deputy Director have been created, none has been appointed to the posts. Only one Assistant Director has been appointed against three posts. The posts of a curator and an engineer are is vacant for long, said Assistant Director Uttam Richil.