A cup of Assam Tea

  Nostalgia is a part of every immigrant's life, a treasure trove. I carry a piece of Assam in my heart and wear it on my sleeves. Special occasions and festivities often transport me back to my homeland, especially to my large family with all Our Uncles and Aunts, to our house and our extensive courtyard in Assam. During this time, my homeland, Assam, celebrates Magh Bihu with great zeal. Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, similar to Thanksgiving in the USA, where the end of the harvest season is widely celebrated. I reminisce those wonderful times, how in the guidance of my Koka (Grandfather) we used to build a makeshift house in our courtyard, my Pehis(Aunts) and Mom prepared Bihu delicacies. How the whirlpool of flavor straightly tantalized my senses with roasted sesame, ground sticky rice, and the sticky and syrupy smell of jaggery. During the day, our house help collected all the winter vegetables, whether it was olkobi, pohulkobi, or tender potatoes from our kitchen garden, a...

      About 17 years back when I moved to the USA, the same year in one December winter morning I experienced the snow for the 1st time. My husband made it like a surprise. He called me to the window and open the blinds for me. I was awestruck by the beauty of nature's confetti with a little silver sparkle. It was like a dream. I remember how I spent the whole watching natures snow wonder, how the rooftops, tree grounds everything filled with snow. Slowly, I got used to the snow. Until I got my driver's license, I never realized how difficult it is to drive on snow. Probably even now driving in snow is my biggest fear. At the same time, we often take a beautiful drive to see snow-covered surroundings.  A few years back, proving the weather forecast wrong a massive snowstorm hit when we were on our way from NewJersey to Connecticut. It was one of the scariest drives ever with whiteout and back to back traffic.  In 2011, an untimely snowstorm hit New Engl...