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<< Bohag beyond Boundaries >>

How does it feel to be away from your loved ones when love and celebration is all that you need? How does it feel to be left alone when your loved ones are having the time of their lives? Sad, isn’t it? You must be cursing if you’re reading this. And one has every reason to feel so, unhappy for not being able to be a part of the spirited celebrations that rev up the land of your birth.

Bohaag Bihu and Non-Resident Assamese people also have a similar storyline like the one above binding them. Even they are seven seas apart! NRAs have over the years formed a major chunk of development of Assam‘s serene image across the length and breadth of the globe. From Delhi to Dallas or Ahmedabad to Austin, the undying spirit of Rongali Bihu is a spellbinding factor uniting varied Assamese people with its fair share of music, food and rich repertoire of cultural exchanges.

 
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The celebration of merriment, our dearest Rongali Bihu is here. Bohag Bihu reflects the coming of spring and is celebrated with distinctive Bihu dances. It is a festival that symbolizes peace and harmony, without giving any prominence to caste, creed and religion and recognizing no boundaries. People observe this festival with great enthusiasm and happiness to celebrate fertility. This festival is celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm all over the State. Being the biggest festival of Assam, Bohag Bihu involves people from all section and classes of society, largely reflecting the rich cultural heritage of this beautiful State.

Goru Bihu:

The cattle of the house are washed, smeared with ground turmeric and other pastes, struck with sprigs of dighalati and makhiyati and endeared to be healthy and productive.

Manuh Bihu:

The day after the Goru Bihu is called the Manuh Bihu. Elders are shown respect, with gifts of Bihuwan (a gamosa), a Hachoti (kerchief), a Cheleng etc., and their blessings are sought. Children are given new clothes, and Husori singing begins on this day, and people visit their relatives and friends.

Husori:

Village elders move from household to households singing carols, also in the style of Bihugeets, called Husoris. It’s possibly derived from the Dimasa Kachari word formation ‘ha’ (land) and ‘char’ (move over): hachari.

Mukoli Bihu:

Young unmarried men and women attired in traditional golden silk muga dance the Bihu and sing Bihu songs in the open fields. The songs have themes of romance and bonding. Sometimes the songs describe tragic events too, but are treated very lightly.

Bihutoli Bihu:

Unlike the rural version, the dancers danced on a makeshift elevated stage in an open area that came to be known as a Bihutoli. The performances are not confined to the Bihu dance form, but may incorporate all forms of theatrical performances to keep the audience enthralled well into the early hours.

As we are poised to celebrate this beautiful festival, we reached out to people who are away from the heart of their homes in Assam. With a tinge of nostalgia and happiness galore in their minds, they had varied views of celebrating the spirit of Rongali Bihu outside Assam. They are away from their homes, but as their hearts revealed, they were never away from the very spirit of the festival. Almost all of them got drowned in the pool of nostalgia, while some floated high hopes with the onset of festivities. With a glorious wish deep within their hearts that this beautiful land of theirs will once gain rise and shine to more glory!

For Rahul Baruah, who is presently based in Kolkata, Bihu is as much as about remembering his roots as it is about savouring the Bihu delicacies. As he says, “Bohaag Bihu for me is a festival that I have always associated with my roots, my value system and my beliefs, a festival that imbibes in me respect and honour for my culture, my community and my homeland. The memories of my mother preparing mouth-watering delicacies, my father getting me new clothes, getting loads of gifts from relatives and hopping from one Bihu ‘sonmilon’ to another with friends remain etched in my mind even till this day. Today as I stay far away from my dear ones, we look forward to celebrate Bihu by keeping alive its spirit and energy that we experience back home and get along with friends and relatives to commemorate this great festival.”

Many others, however, are gearing up to celebrate the festival in the place where they currently reside. “I would be attending my first Bihu this year in USA. Pretty excited as we have a lot of Assamese here in the Austin area,” says Chiranjit Chetia, who is now in Austin, USA. But even though most Assamese outside the State do celebrate the season in their own unique ways, nothing can match the celebrations back home. This is something which saddens most of them. Chandana Pathak Sharma, now based in Villahermosa, Mexico, says, “Unfortunately we are the only Indians in our place called Villahermosa. It is sad yet true that I prefer to forget the date and the occasion so that I do not get nostalgic and feel sad!”

Similar views were echoed by Dipankur Sarma in Bikaner, who said, “Bohag bihu is the festival I would die for. There are lots of fond memories attached with this festival. But Bihu is to be celebrated in Assam only because celebrating it outside is making a mockery of it.” The sights and sounds in Assam during this time of the year is also a major cause for nostalgia, evident from the views expressed by Amarjyoti Das, who is now in Dehradun. He says, “Rongali Bihu is the time when we wear new clothes, eat lot of homemade goodies, watch Bihu functions, have loads of fun. But no Bihu is complete without passing stares at moments dressed in traditional attire. Sad and nostalgic yes, because away from home no one can create that ambience and magic which accompanies this festival, irrespective of whatever way we celebrate it. As I sum up, ‘Lao kha….bengena kha…bosore bosore bahi ja!’”

“From my perspective, Bihu away from Assam can never be equated with Bihu, irrespective of how good the arrangements are. I had always missed the aura, the air filled with the sound of dhol, the weeklong Bihu programmes at Bihu tolis. Having been in Delhi for the last 8 years, Bihu for me has become limited to visiting some association’s lunch arrangement, a bit of games and a cultural night wherein popular pop singers render melodious numbers... although more of Hindi than Bihu!” says Bidyut Bikash Tamuly, New Delhi.

But despite the sadness, Bihu is still an occasion for Assamese outside the State to celebrate. “Bohag Bihu is like a holiday at home or a small get together at home for friends. A lot of haldi bathing and loud garrulous bihu round the corner. I do feel nostalgic being away from Assam, which is why I make it a point that friends from across Mumbai come and get a drink and some good Assamese food,” says Archita Kashyap, now in Mumbai.

Similar views were echoed by Pahi B Dutta, who is now in Kolkata. She says, “It’s really sad staying away from your parents and dear ones during this time of the year. But celebrating this beautiful time out here has its own share of happiness. At least I make sure I follow and do everything that's so essential to the spirit of Rongali Bihu celebrations.”

Bhaskar Baglari in Ahmedabad even feels that their jest for celebrating Bihu has caught the fancy of outsiders as well. He says, “As an avid member of the Assam Youth Association of Ahmedabad, we conduct Bihu and other festivals with full fervor that witnesses full participation of the Assamese community. Nowadays, even the people of Ahmedabad are taking keen interest in Bihu festivals, thanks to the rising community of Assamese people in this part of the world.”

Come what may, the festivities of Bohaag Bihu will still linger on. For ages to come. Till the time mankind breathes its last, the sound of Dhol, Pepa and Gogona will not go down!

* Ankur Baruah "

 
Courtesy by the Sentinel

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