GUWAHATI: Assam is ready for fun, feast and celebration, though the winter is biting.
The festive bug makes the pizza and burger generation of the state go traditional.
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Magh Bihu evolves as a craze for the residents of Guwahati metropolitan, as Bhogal Bihu knocks at their door in its traditional best.
With the winter chill in the air and the dense fog creating a mystic web, it’s the time that the state of Assam prepares itself to feast and celebrate.
The granaries stocked for the year and bounty of nature with its opulence strikes the right chord in every soul of Assam, to soak in the spirit of Bihu.
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Fun and festivity has crept into every household of the state. It is in this festival that the state of Assam goes ‘fishy’ over fish, gorgy over sumptuous ethnic meals and develops sweet teeth on mouth watering traditional sweets.
Also read: Assam | Magh Bihu 2023: Community fishing in Kaziranga National Park banned
It’s time for Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in Assam. Several stalls selling traditional food items like different varieties of rice cakes, laddoos made of sesame seeds and coconut, curds etc have come up in different parts of the city.
Dipanjali Barua, one of the organizers of the popular Bhogali Mela at Dighalipukhuri said, “We have been organizing this fair for the past 16 years and the reason why we are doing this is the people of Guwahati cannot prepare these traditional items at their homes due to lack of availability of the raw materials or tools. We are doing this so that our tradition does not get lost and it remains alive among the new generation.”
“We want to send a message to all that we have a lot of junk foods which have several health hazards but these natural foods do not harm us in any way, Barua added.”
Bhogali Bihu is celebrated in mid of January, on the first day of ‘Magh’ month of Assamese Calendar. ‘Bhogali’ means handiness of rich food. So Bhogali Bihu represents a festival of food.
And because it is celebrated in the month of ‘Magh’, it is also known as ‘Magh’ Bihu. Like other two Bihu, this is also related to harvesting. Bhogali Bihu is celebrated at a time when all the cultivation works get over and everyone has plenty to eat and enjoy.
For the fast paced city life of the concrete jungle people in large numbers are thronging these fairs to buy the traditional items to keep the customs alive.
“I have come to the Bhogali mela to buy some traditional food items. I bought different varieties of rice cakes, different varieties of laddoos, ‘chira’ etc. Burgers and pizzas are available in every nook and corner throughout the year but these traditional food items are available only during this time of the year. During the festival, we should have our traditional food items. We mothers should encourage our children to have traditional foods. We have seen this tradition prevailing since our grandparent’s days so we want our children to keep the tradition alive. We will get burgers and pizzas throughout the year but these traditional items are available only during this time, said a buyer Paramita Bhattacharjee.”
It needs mention that Bhogali Bihu is one occasion that cuts across all lines of caste creed and religion and unites the state.
In an age when everyone is more concerned with their waist line this is one sinful occasion where no lines matter then to eat and party till you drop.