A cup of Assam Tea

About after two months of losing the dearest person of my life, Deuta(Dad), I try to stand up on my feet again, collecting bits and pieces, resuming life back to normalcy, at the same time the reality hit hard, not just for me but for the entire world by the pandemic called COVI19. In front of my eyes, the world has changed, what we never imagined in our wildest dream and what the generations had never seen happening, what was normal a few days back, became extinct from our lives. For our health's safety, we quarantined ourselves in our homes, kids' schools closed, online classes started, malls, cinema halls everything got closed. The bustling places turn into barren, and the places entitled by humans got emptied and became the new normal of our lives. The new normal brought uncertainty and tension in every nook and corner. Health hygiene became people's foremost priority rather than luxury travel or any other thing in life. My life or days on my toes slowed down. Lif

                                        Komal Saul prior SoakingKomal Saul takes me to my grandparent's home to the early childhood days when we stayed in a different city and visited my grandparent's ancestorial home, my grandmother often delightfully prepares a morning breakfast in a jiffy. The breakfast is called Komal saul or soft rice. A luscious, slightly golden color and light glossy textured rice, no need for the cooking process, unlike other regular rice. In Assamese, Komal means soft and that soft does not require cooking. Soak it in hot water for a few minutes and its ready to eat.         My home state Assam produces a variety of rice and no wonder we have all kinds of cereals, snacks, to the main course from rice. Any other kind of rice is considered as the main course, whereas Komal Saul is considered as a light meal or snack. As a snack or mini-meal Komal Saul holds a prestigious position in Assamese culinary tradition. Religious function or funeral or even