A cup of Assam Tea

When you lose someone as close as your dad, even the festive season feels incomplete. After my Dad passed away in 2020, it took us time to start celebrating the festivities. However, life goes on even with the absolute truth that you continue to miss someone while celebrating. This is the festive season in Assam, and here in my home in New England, we continue celebrating Magh Bihu. As busy as teenagers' parents, activities entirely occupied us this weekend, no exception. We could not attend any of the functions the Assamese community celebrated. However, we celebrated at home by preparing some festive dishes and sharing them with family precious. And, of course, no festivity is complete without wearing a mekhela chadar. I got this pair a couple of years back with a sustainable brand called Natural by Anuradha. A burgundy silk mekhela chadar with Eri silk motifs on it. A casual stay-home look with minimal make-up except for red lips and loosely tied hair bun. Hope you all like th...

  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 expansive 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...

Meji- The holy fire  With a mixed feeling happy Magh Bihu all. Last day in Assam trip. We are leaving home, Assam tomorrow on the day of Magh Bihu. I almost feel like a five-year-old little girl who refuses to go to school. I refuse to leave Assam. It's always difficult for me to decide what makes me so sad - my parents, brother, family, and friends or those familiar sights I grew up with.                                      Masor Tenga (Assamese sour fish curry) Magh Bihu, the most fun, food and frolic festival of Assam. It's all about enjoying food with friends and family after the successful harvest. It usually falls in the 2nd week of January. If you read my blog, you might know there are three Bihus in Assam. Magh Bihu is the one celebration where it's about eating and enjoyment, and that is the reason it's also called Bhugali Bihu. Bhug means enjoying and eating. The...