Bihu

Everyone talks about Bihu - then and now. Everyone says it was better “then”, than “now”. I beg to differ. For me all the Bihu celebrations have something special to offer. So what, if the celebration of Bihu has changed over the ages? Change is inevitable. We all have to keep up with time and adjust accordingly. Today we do not have enough time and convenience to do all the things that are associated with the Bihus. It doesn’t matter when you were born and how you remember your Bihu celebrations. Bihu is always a special celebration that is closest to the hearts of all the Assamese people around the globe. We love Bihu, be it the vibrant Rongali Bihu or the feastful Magh Bihu. Well, Kati Bihu always takes a backseat because of obvious reasons. All the Bihu celebrations of my life have been pleasant ones. At least I would like to think so. This may be because; nothing could ever dampen the spirit of Bihu in us Assamese.

Today, we celebrate Bihu in our own little ways, feeling equally excited every time. Although the first thing we all would like to do on Bihu is to be at our parental home where we grew up and enjoyed the Bihus in their totality. But due to the many difficulties, obligations and responsibilities of modern lives, it is sometimes not possible to be at the right place at the right time. However, no matter where we are, we make sure that we celebrate Bihu in some special ways to mark the Axomiya “jatiyo utsab”.

To cite a few examples, Pushpanjali, a friend of mine, an Assamese to the bone marrow, is celebrating Bihu in her newspaper office in Bangalore. She has asked her brother to courier some Pitha so that she can reduce the pangs of missing home.

Another of my friends, Prity in Australia has learnt Pitha making, so that she doesn’t have to survive with the cravings for Pitha, especially during the Bihu days. Thanks to her technically savvy mother who e-mailed her the recipes and processes of Til Pitha and Ghila Pitha making.

In Delhi, when work kept us from going home for the Rongali Bihu, just to make ourselves feel good, we (a few Assamese girls) used to make time to at least go to Assam Bhavan near Kautilya Marg, wearing Muga Mekhela Sador to have an Assamese thali in the cafeteria. The saak bhaji, alu pitika and maasor tenga never felt so heavenly.

A friend of mine in Singapore, Animesh, married to a local girl there, craves for Assamese home food. Last Magh Bihu, the craving finally seemed to have crossed all boundaries. Since he was missing the feasting of Magh Bihu with family and friends for years, last January he decided to celebrate a real Magh Bihu in Singapore. Hunting the market for half a day, he collected some of the close to home ingredients and invited all his Chinese friends to celebrate Magh Bihu at his home. A small Meji was built in front of his home and a bonfire and barbequed snacks marked the celebration.

Once in Delhi, a few of my Assamese friends and I celebrated Magh Bihu in a grand way. We made sure that everyone’s favourite Assamese dish was made. At first only a few Assamese girls got together for the occasion, but word of mouth got spread so fast that we ended up having seventeen “khaar” (Assamese living outside Assam call themselves Khaar as in Khaar khua Asomiya) friends who invited themselves to the celebration. Bon fire is a must on Magh Bihu and we had no idea how to arrange for the firewood. Then an idea struck in the middle of the INA market itself, where we were shopping for the feast. We requested the fruit vendors to donate us the discarded wooden fruit boxes and they happily obliged. Firewood was ready for that perfect bonfire just in front of my residence.

In Kolkata, a few of my Assamese friends are getting together for Rongali Bihu this year too (we have been celebrating Rongali Bihu in Kolkata since 2009). Some of them are students and some are working professionals. The process of deciding the venue, menu and time, is still on. I look forward to be a part of that celebration this time as well.

With the passage of time, my friends and I have moved on changing cities and countries. But the spirit of Bihu remains intact in our hearts and always will be. Although I am in Mumbai now, whenever I hear the cuckoo singing in the big “Krishna Chura” tree behind the St Theresa’s Church near my home in Bandra (W), my heart skips a beat. I realise that Bihu is just around the corner. The Cuckoo, like a sincere messenger tells me with his coos, ‘here comes the most exciting festival of your life’.

In India, Rongali Bihu is celebrated with different names in different states. Being an agrarian economy, almost all the states of India follow the same agricultural calendar. All the states celebrate their traditional New Year festival during this time of April. Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala, Baisakhi in Punjab and Nababarsha in West Bengal are nothing but Rongali Bihu celebrations in their own respective ways. The festivities are the same, the spirit is identical and the attachment of the locales towards these festivals is the same. I have to confess though, that when in Assam, I can smell Bihu in the air and the feeling is matchless. I can’t wait to get home for this Bihu......Happy Rongali Bihu to all of you....

An unofficial Bihu google doodle I found on the internet 

Dr Bhupen Hazarika lives on...

Dr Bhupen Hazarika

A life, led with the highest degree of simplicity — the pain, ups and downs of personal life, expressed in effortless melodies, the man, the legend who touched everyone's heart with his humane lyrics and melodies — can that great human being be dead and gone forever? No, for me, he is still alive in every one of us, whose heart he has touched with his soulful melodies and personal interaction. For me, only his body has expired, but his soul has moved on to live in each one of us, as our very own Bhupen mama, Bhupen da and Dr Bhupen Hazarika. 

The enormity of his funeral procession, the gathering of people of all ages, cast and religion to pay homage to the great legend are the proofs how a single element called soulful music is enough to unite everyone. Bhupen mama's music had that power. An excellent orator, director, brilliant student, a pioneer in making Assamese music global, Bhupen Hazarika lives on. My prayers to the almighty, may his soul rest in peace and guide us to remain united forever.

Companionship

My heartfelt condolences to Ms Kalpana Lajmi, though I know, no word can be enough to condole her on her loss. The emptiness she is going to face is unimaginable. My sincere gratitude to her for her unconditional love for Bhupen Hazarika. I thank her for taking care of the legend in his time of need, for being there for him – always, for having the courage to face the ridicule she had to face for her nameless relationship with Dr Bhupen Hazarika. She is not great for these reasons alone, my respect for her has grown manifold for (also) establishing the fact that love doesn’t have to have a name or a relationship tag to it. Love is just love. Ms Lajmi has proved it loud and clear. My heartfelt gratitude to her – for everything.

Know more about:

Dr Bhupen Hazarika

Ms. Kalpana Lajmi

The relationship

Magh Bihu Bhogali

I am writing this blog with a smile on my face. I hope everyone who reads this blog feels the same joy while reliving the moments I am going to share here. I felt happiness and a great sense of belonging while celebrating Magh Bihu in Kolkata this year. Till the morning of Uruka day, the members of Sristir Ramdhenu (SR) had no plan of celebrating Magh Bihu. There were many hurdles to cross in the form of finding a place in Kolkata for bonfire, contacting all the members which meant uncountable phone calls, collecting money and so on. Since everyone is having full time jobs to attend to, it leaves them with very little time to think of anything else. However, on the evening of Uruka the Assamese spirit emerged with full vigour and the boys a.k.a. the most active members of the group decided to make Bhogali Bihu happen – no matter what.

Unlike other past events, where I participated actively, I couldn’t do the same this time, as I had to attend to some medical issue at home. However, when the boys (Bhaskar, Uddipta, Hemanta and of course Proloy) contacted me, I was free enough to take part in it. Hence, I hopped on, in the organisation of the celebration too. We were in it together and we wanted to make the best out of this team of organisers. All the social networking groups/community sites were updated, members contacted and informed. The spirit of Magh Bihu was poking the members to do something about it and everyone said YES to the proposition. We all had smiles on our faces. :) We will have Magh Bihu feast on the day of Magh Bihu (the day after Uruka). But we all know that a few hours delay hardly matters when there is so much of positivity involved.

Now, Proloy took the highest initiative by arranging for a place for bonfire and feast. It was a walled open space in the front yard of a school. Till late night of the Uruka day, we were on conference calls discussing, making lists of to dos and how to dos and so on.
Next day, the day of Bihu, Uddipta called and asked “Who would cook?” Bhaskar said (on con call) the boys can do it themselves. But I knew nobody had the experience of cooking for so many people at one go. We were 35 people and there were several items on the menu. Hence Uddipta and I decided to hire a cook. I started calling my contacts in Kolkata and luckily found a cook in such a short notice! Another hurdle crossed. Bhaskar and Uddipta went veggie shopping after consulting the cook. I offered to sponsor one of the must-haves/must eats of Magh Bihu, the Kaath alu. I also informed the boys that I would be bringing the sweets and it will be on me. I attended to home chores. Apart from phone calls, guests at home kept me busy.

Evening approached…umm…let me call it late afternoon. Proloy called me and asked if I am ready and going to the venue. He reached there before time to arrange the seating and bonfire etc. I said I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Hiranya called (he was given the charge of arranging firewood) and asked me if I can go to Panchanantala and bring the firewood in my car. Ahem, well, I know I am very accommodating, but firewood in my delicate Ford Fiesta? I suggested him to hire a cab instead. He got the point. I reached the venue and saw Proloy bickering with the cook and his helper. The cook was of the opinion that it was getting too late for the things to get ready and that might result in a very late dinner. We both made the cook understand that it wouldn’t matter and he can take his own sweet time to finish the dishes.
Uddipta and Bhaskar entered with a rickshaw-full of things. Madhurjya, a member of SR came in with his sister who was visiting Kolkata and missing home on Bihu. One by one, people started getting together and the chairs got all filled. Uddipta suddenly looked anxious and I enquired why. He asked what to do about drinking water! Hemanta suggested we buy mineral water bottles for all. But that would be expensive. I suggested we get those big 20 litre gallons of mineral water. Since I take those at home, I called up the water supplier and he said he kept two with the security guard of my apartment and I can take those. Problem solved. I went home and dumped the two 20 litre bottles of Bisleri water in the car dickey, collected the sweets and kaath alu and I was good to go for the night again.
Since many members and wanna be members knew my numbers, they started calling me to enquire about the direction of the venue. One of those calls was from Firoze Maran. The conversation went like this:

FM: Hello, are you organizing the Magh Bihu under Sristir Ramdhenu group?

Me: Yes we are and may I know who is speaking please?

FM: I am Firoze Maran and I am at Assam House now. Me and my friend thought we would celebrate Magh Bihu at the Assam House’s Magh Bihu celebration. But we are bored to death here. Can we come over to your celebration please?

Me: Of course you can. Just come over. We are at …..

FM: Okay we’ll be there.

Another call vibrated my mobile phone. Here’s the conversation:

Me: Hello, Pranjal, tell me.

P: Are you guys not celebrating Bihu at the Assam House?

Me: No, that celebration is by ASL. We are celebrating elsewhere.

P: Oh! Assuming that you are celebrating here, I reached Assam House and it is really getting lousy here. Is it too late for me to join you guys now?

Me: Nope, come over. We are celebrating at….. (I gave him the direction and the address of the venue).

I reached the venue. The bonfire was lit and that excited everyone with the real spirit of Magh Bihu bonfire. The kaath alu was put in the pile of burning wood for roasting. Now came the part when everyone had to introduce oneself to the others, so that if someone is new in the SR community, they would know who is who. This part was interesting for me too as I got to know a few new faces and their professions. Sristir Ramdhenu was getting richer with such valued new members. Once the introduction session was over, it was time for some real thing – Bihu songs and Bihu dance. Bhaskar, our community singer started singing some soulful yet melodious and peppy Bihu songs. The rest of the members got into the groove and all got up to shake that thing … you know what I mean. :)
Hiranya took charge of the kaath alu roast and served the same after peeling and cleaning those. Those were yum!

I must mention that Firoze Maran was one of the best Bihu dancers in the group of more than 35 people. Rituraj sang his favourite Bihu songs and Uddipta was encouraging him as well as Bhaskar. We all did not realize when the clock struck 11 pm. The food was ready by then and some of the children started yawning and pulling their mother’s clothes for want of some cozy place to sleep. So, we decided to serve food to the children first. Families who had to travel back far were served dinner next. The feedback on the food was absolutely positive. I was happy with the cook. All the members finished having food batch by batch. Sweets were served and during the entire time photographs were shot and video cameras were rolling. After food and a group photo session, members were leaving with a full stomach and a satisfied heart. It was past midnight and I was worrying how the girls will reach their respective homes. After arranging for car pools for some, I offered a home drops to six of them and they all hopped on my car. It was cramped with limbs going here and there to make space for everyone. I couldn’t stop laughing! Once the vehicle started to move, everyone settled down. Dropping them at their respective residences, I went home and reached home at around 1.30 am. 

I was all smiles with a satisfied mind and soul. I sms-ed the boys congratulating them on the successful event. We all slept off wearing a smile on our faces.

One of My All Time Favourite Poems "সাগৰ দেখিছা ?"

সাগৰ দেখিছা ?

– দেৱকান্ত বৰুৱা

সাগৰ দেখিছা? দেখা নাই কেতিয়াও? ময়ো দেখা নাই,
              শুনিছোঁ তথাপি,
নীলিম সলিলৰাশি বাধাহীন উৰ্ম্মিমালা আছে দূৰ
              দিগন্ত বিয়াপি |
মোৰ ই অন্তৰ খনি সাগৰৰ দৰে নীলা, বেদনাৰে –
              দেখা নাই তুমি ?
উঠিছে মৰিছে য’ত বাসনাৰ লক্ষ ঢউ তোমাৰেই
              স্মৃতি – সীমা চুমি |
শুনা নাই? মোৰ সাগৰত তুমি শুনা নাই ধুমুহাৰ
              উতলা সঙ্গীত ?
বুজা নাই? অনুভৱো কৰা নাই ফুলনিত বসন্তৰ
              কোমল ইঙ্গিত?
দেখিছাতো ৰামধেনু? বাৰিষাৰ ডাৱৰত পোহৰৰ
              মোহন গৌৰৱ;
প্ৰেমৰ পোহৰ-দীপ্ত মোৰ হিয়া আকাশত দেখিছানে
              ৰঙৰ উছৱ ?
মাজনিশা সাৰ পাই শুনিছানে কেতিয়াবা কেতেকীৰ
              হিয়া ভগা মাত?
ভাবিছানে এটিবাৰো পখীৰ ডিঙিত কান্দে মানুহৰ
              বুকুৰ সম্বাদ!
মই জানো, তুমি কিটো জানা, হেৰা মোৰ হিয়াহীনা প্ৰিয়া!
              তুমি জানা মাথোঁ
তুমি তুমি, মই মই| তুমিতো নাজানা-হায়, কিয় বাৰু
              কিয় আমি গাথোঁ
জঁই পৰা মালতীৰে জয়ৰ গৌৰৱ মালা? মিলনৰ
              কাৰেঙ সোনালী
সাজোঁ কিয় পৃথিৱীৰ দুখৰ বোকাৰে আমি? হৃদয়ৰ
              ৰঙা তেজ ঢালি
প্ৰতিমাৰ পখালোঁ চৰণ কিয়? তুমি নুবুজিবা সখি!
              কিনো বেদনাত
ষষ্ঠীত প্ৰতিষ্ঠা কৰা দেৱীক বিসৰ্জো আমি বিজয়াৰ
              বিফল সন্ধ্যাত!
সন্ধিয়া আহিছে নামি? থক হেৰা নেলাগে জ্বলাব চাকি;
              দুটি নয়নৰ
সহজ প্ৰভাৰে আজি নাশিবা তিমিৰ তুমি অন্ধকাৰ
              মোৰ জগতৰ|

Kolmou Haak

Xaak or khaak or haak...whichever spelling you use, it means green leafy vegetable in Assamese, the ones of which, only the leaves and tender stems are consumed as a side dish with a meal. I love haak, the veggie that is, and yeah the spelling too :-).

Kolmou haak

Yesterday I made Kolmou haak and loved it (hey, I love all kinds of haak for that matter). It was a little gravy-ish with one potato cut in wedges style. We had rice with that and two more side dishes to go with it. Now, since it was the first time I was making this haak, I had to call my moma darling back home to ask for the recipe. I made it like an obedient pupil and I am happy with the output. Once lunch was over, I wondered about the goonagoon, nutritional value of the haak and was amused and amazed by what I have learnt. Here I am sharing a few things about Kolmou.

Ipomea Aquatica - Kolmi Sag

• 
  
  Kolmou is known as Ipomoea Aquatica and it is known as the water spinach as well, because of its nutritional properties that come close to spinach.
• 
  
  Water spinach is most commonly grown in East and Southeast Asia. Because it flourishes naturally in waterways and does not require much care, it is used extensively in Malay and Chinese cuisine, especially in rural or kampung (village) areas.
• 
  
  The vegetable is a common ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes. In Singapore and Indonesia, the leaves are usually stir fried with Chile pepper, garlic, ginger, dried shrimp paste (belacan/terasi) and other spices.
• 
  
  In Penang and Ipoh, it is cooked with cuttlefish and a sweet and spicy sauce.
• 
  
  During the World War II, the vegetable grew remarkably well and easily in many areas, and become a popular wartime crop.
• 
  
  In Chinese cuisine, there are numerous ways of preparation, but a simple and quick stir-fry either plain or with minced garlic is probably the most common. In Cantonese cuisine, a popular variation adds preserved bean curd - a method known in the Mandarin language as furu (The Chinese Cheeses).
• 
  
  In Hakka cuisine, yellow bean paste is added, sometimes along with fried shallots. The vegetable is also extremely popular in Taiwan, where it grows well.
• 
  
  In Thailand it is frequently stir fried with oyster sauce and shrimp paste. It can be eaten raw with Lao green papaya salad. Though eaten raw, there is a chance of transmitting fasciolopsiasis, a parasite of humans and pigs.
• 
  
  In Vietnam, it once served as a staple vegetable of the poor. In the south, the stems are julienned into thin strips and eaten with many kinds of noodles and used as a garnish as well.
• 
  
  Over the course of time, Ipomoea aquatica has developed into being an ingredient for many daily vegetable dishes of Vietnamese cuisine as a whole.
• 
  
  In the Philippines, it is usually sautéed in cooking oil, onions, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce. This dish is called "adobong kangkong". There is an appetizer in the Philippines called Crispy Kangkong, where in a mixer of with eggs, water, cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper these leaves are coated with the batter and are fried until crispy and golden brown.
• 
  
  Some of the common names include water spinach, swamp cabbage, water convolvulus, water morning-glory, kangkung (Indonesian, Malay, Sinhalese), Hong Sum Choy (Hakka), Thooti koora in Telugu; Kalmisag, Sarnali, Ganthian in Hindi; Kolmi Shak or Kolmi Lota in Bengali and finally In Kolmou in my mother tongue Assamese.

References:
Ø http://en.wikipedia.org
Ø http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu

Bihu is Bihu

Dhuliya and Nasoni

Today, we celebrate Bihu in our own little ways, feeling equally excited every time. Although the first thing we all would like to do on Bihu is to be at our parental home where we grew up and enjoyed the Bihus in their totality. But due to the many difficulties, obligations and responsibilities of modern lives, it is sometimes not possible to be at the right place at the right time. However, no matter where we are, we make sure that we celebrate Bihu in some special way to mark the Asomiya “jatiyo utsab”.

The spirit of Bihu remains intact in our hearts and always will be. Although I am in Kolkata now, whenever I hear the cuckoo singing in the big “Krishno Chura” trees of the Salt Lake area, my heart skips a beat. I realise that Bihu is just around the corner. The Cuckoo, like a sincere messenger tells me with his coos, “here comes the most exciting festival of your life”.
 
In India, Rongali Bihu is celebrated with different names in different states. Being an agrarian economy, almost all the states of India follow the same agricultural calendar. All the states celebrate their traditional New Year festival during this time of April. Pudu Varsham in Tamil Nadu, Baisakhi in Punjab and Nababarsha in West Bengal are nothing but celebrations of Bihu in their own respective ways. The festivities are the same, the spirit is identical and the attachment of the locales towards these festivals is the same. I have to confess though, that when in Assam, I can smell Bihu in the air and the feeling is matchless. I can’t wait to get home for this Bihu......Happy Rongali Bihu to all of you....

Bihu is Bihu

Khanapara Bihu Function "08

Everyone talks about Bihu - then and now. Everyone says it was better “then”, than “now”. I beg to differ. For me all the Bihu celebrations have something special to offer. So what, if the celebration of Bihu has changed over the ages? Change is inevitable. We all have to keep up with time and adjust accordingly. Today we do not have enough time and convenience to do all the things that are associated with the Bihus. It doesn’t matter when you were born and how you remember your Bihu celebrations. Bihu is always a celebration that is closest to the hearts of all the Assamese people around the globe. We love Bihu, be it the vibrant Rongali Bihu or the feastful Magh Bihu. Well, Kati Bihu always takes a backseat because of obvious reasons. All the Bihu celebrations of my life have been pleasant ones. At least I would like to think so. This may be because; nothing could ever dampen the spirit of Bihu in us.

Khanapara Bihu "09 entrance Gate

Today, we celebrate Bihu in our own little ways, feeling equally excited every time. Although the first thing we all would like to do on Bihu is to be at our parental home where we grew up and enjoyed the Bihus in their totality. But due to the many difficulties, obligations and responsibilities of modern lives, it is sometimes not possible to be at the right place at the right time. However, no matter where we are, we make sure that we celebrate Bihu in some special way to mark the Asomiya “jatiyo utsab”.
To cite a few examples, Pushpanjali, a friend of mine, an Assamese to the bone marrow, is celebrating Bihu in her newspaper office in Ahmedabad. She has asked her brother to courier some Pitha so that she can reduce the feeling of missing home.
Another of my friends, Pinky in Australia has learnt Pitha making, so that she doesn’t have to survive with the cravings for Pitha, especially during the Bihu days. Thanks to her technically savvy mother who e-mailed her the recipes and processes of Til Pitha and Ghila Pitha making.
In Delhi, when work kept us from going home for the Rongali Bihu, just to make ourselves feel good, we Assamese girls used to make time to at least go to Assam Bhavan near Kautilya Marg, wearing Muga Mekhela Sador to have an Assamese thali in the cafeteria. The saak bhaji, alu pitika and maasor tenga never felt so heavenly.

A Magh Bihu Bonfire

A friend of mine in Singapore, Prakash, married to a non-Assamese girl, craves for Assamese home food. Last Magh Bihu, the craving finally seemed to have crossed the line. Since he was missing the feasting of Magh Bihu with family and friends for years, last January he decided to celebrate a real Magh Bihu in Singapore. Hunting the market for half a day, he collected some of the close to home menu items and invited all his Chinese friends to celebrate Magh Bihu at his home. A small Meji was built in front of his home and a bonfire and barbequed snacks marked the celebration.
Once in Delhi, a few of my Assamese friends and me celebrated Magh Bihu in a grand way. We made sure that everyone’s favourite Assamese dish was made. At first only a few Assamese girls got together for the occasion, but word of mouth got spread so fast that we ended up having seventeen “khaar” (Assamese in Delhi call themselves Khaar as in Khaar khua Asomiya) friends who invited themselves to the celebration. Bon fire is a must on Magh Bihu and we had no idea how to arrange for the firewood. Then an idea struck in the middle of the INA market itself, where we were shopping for the feast. We requested the fruit vendors to donate us the discarded wooden fruit boxes and they happily obliged. Firewood was ready for that perfect bonfire just in front of my residence.
In Kolkata, a few of my Assamese friends are getting together for Rongali Bihu this year. Some of them are students and some are working professionals. The process of deciding the venue, menu and time, is still on. I look forward to be a part of that celebration here.
With the passage of time, my friends and me have moved on following our own fortunes. But the spirit of Bihu remains intact in our hearts and always will be. Although I am in Kolkata now, whenever I hear the cuckoo singing in the big “Krishno Chura” trees of the Salt Lake area, my heart skips a beat. I realise that Bihu is just around the corner. The Cuckoo, like a sincere messenger tells me with his coos, “here comes the most exciting festival of your life”.
In India, Rongali Bihu is celebrated with different names in different states. Being an agrarian economy, almost all the states of India follow the same agricultural calendar. All the states celebrate their traditional New Year festival during this time of April. Pudu Varsham in Tamil Nadu, Baisakhi in Punjab and Nababarsha in West Bengal are nothing but celebrations of Bihu in their own respective ways. The festivities are the same, the spirit is identical and the attachment of the locales towards these festivals is the same. I have to confess though, that when in Assam, I can smell Bihu in the air and the feeling is matchless. I can’t wait to get home for this Bihu......Happy Rongali Bihu to all of you....

Celebrating Prosperity - Bhugali Bihu

Magh Bihu Delicacies

Winter is almost over in India. However, to bid a formal goodbye to the winter season, India celebrates a day that usually falls on the 13th day of January. This day is celebrated with different names in different parts of the country. Regardless of the names, all the celebrations have a connection with the agricultural activities of the farmers. India being an agricultural economy, this is quite obvious. This festival denotes the harvest time of the agricultural calendar. Being an Assamese (someone who belongs to the northeastern state of India, Assam) I am here to talk the way it's celebrated in Assam.
Out of the three Bihus (Rongali Bihu, Bhogali Bihu and Kangali Bihu), this is perhaps , the second most welcomed Bihu in Assam. The reason , one gets to feast with near and dear ones and the granary is usually filled with rich harvest. Hence, Bhogali Bihu also denotes celebration of prosperity.

Sunga Pitha-Another Variety of Pitha

The first day of the two-day long festival is dedicated to community feasting. Plentiful variety of pitha, laadu and jolpaan are made in traditional Assamese styles which are served to whoever visits the family. On the first day, the farmers along with their respective family celebrate around their Bhoral or granary feasting and enjoying the good harvest. Close families and neighbours get together for a feast at night by the side of a huge bon fire.

A bonfire

The children and young adults make houses or tomb like structures known as Bhela Ghor and Meji Ghor respectively. These are usually built with the left over haystack from the field. The second day of Bhogali Bihu is marked by burning of the Bhela Ghor or Meji Ghor early in the morning. People pay their obeisance to the God of fire Agni by offering Bihu delicacies especially til (sesame seed) laadu into the fire. The farmers along their family pray in their paddy fields for prosperity and offer puja with traditional rituals. The day is also marked by visits to near and dear ones and by taking blessings from the elders of the family. In rural areas people gather in playgrounds to witness festivities like cock fights, buffalo fights, bulbuli (small bird) fights etc.

In the Eastern Coastal region, where I am residing now, this festival is known as Makar Sankranti. Though, this festival does not have equal importance as in Assam, the festivity related to it is almost similar. In the Indo Gangetic plains, this auspicious day of Makar Sankranti begin with a dip in the sacred Hindu river Ganges. This is followed by a puja of offering water to the Sun God. The holy dip is believed to purify the self and bestow punya. Special puja is performed as a thanksgiving ritual for the good harvest of the year.

Apart from the above mentioned festivals, this time of the year is celebrated in different forms in different parts of the country. In Punjab, this festival is known as Lohri, in Tamilnadu it is called Pongal or Makara Pongal, in Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh, this festival is known as Sukarat or Sakarat and is celebrated with merriment and lots of sweets. On the first day of the two-day festival, people throng to the holy rivers in large numbers for a sacred dip. The famous Kumbh Mela is also held on this auspicious time of the year at the four auspicious places of Hindu religion.

In West Bengal, this time of the year is also marked by a festival cum fair called the Ganga Sagar Mela. People from all over India come to visit and take a dip at the Ganga Saagar beach. The practice is being followed for years with the belief that a dip in the holy bank will release one from all his previous sins.

In Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, people savour a special rice meal to mark the day of Uttarayan. In Rajasthan, Nagaur Fair marks this festival. People from all over Rajasthan gather at Nagaur to attend the cattle fair and the four days festivities related to it. Besides the usual buying and selling of camel, ox, cows and bullocks, other festivities like cock fights and bull fights also attract the attention of visitors.

The suckers did it again- Serial Blasts in Assam

Today is the black day in the history of not only, Assam and India but for humanity in general. 18 serial blasts in the crowded market places by unidentified terrorists cannot be justified in any way. I don’t know what to say to whom! The corruption of the Tarun Gogoi government in the state of Assam, the step motherly attitude of the Central government towards the state and the out of way love of Congress towards Bangladeshi immigrants and other illegal immigrants are some of the reasons of this situation in my homeland Assam. Yes we are helpless now, but not for very long. The nonsensical terror traders, just know that we are not cowards like you to stab from the back. We can take you all - head on. Only thieves and cowards do things like you did. It will be better if the concerned understand the intensity of things coming their way. Do not underestimate the peace loving Assamese. We are the sons and daughters of Lachit, Mula Gabhoru and Chilarai.

So far the Bangladeshis are concerned; get back to your country beggars.

For the good for nothing sons of the soil who encourage these kind of terror in their own motherland, you are the worst suckers ever.

The above photograph is by: Anupam Nath