By Ananyaa Barua
Beyond the pale technological amusement, the month of April transcends a heart close to nature to a realm of an extra-technological high. Assam is flagged by the peaceful co-existence of two paths of faith.
If there is the temple of Kamakhya that nurtures devotees in the path of ‘tantra-mantra-yantra’, there is the other path of Vaishnavism who are the ardent followers of ‘Srimanta Sankardev’.
With the advent of the Vaishnavite saint, Srimanta Sankardev, in Assam, some 500 years ago, the practice of tantricism gave way to a new belief of Ek Sarana Nam Dharma (One God-One Faith). This transition led to a lot of changes. From our cultural practices like Borgeet, Lokogeet to the celebrations of life like Satriya Nritya, Ankiya Naat, Bhaona and others Sankardev showed the path as to what sanskriti (culture) is.
Culturally, Bihu is of three kinds: Magh Bihu, Bohag Bihu and Kati Bihu. Each Bihu coincides with a distinctive phase in the farming calendar. Bohaag Bihu (April mid) marks the New Year at the advent of seeding time, Kaati Bihu (September mid) marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies, and Maagh Bihu (January mid) marks the end of the harvesting period.
Bihu is an agricultural festival of Assam. Rural people of Assam depend on cattle. Cattle and livestock are taken to the nearby river or pond and smeared with Mah-Haldhi (paste of turmeric with different types of pulses). Cows are gently struck by sprigs of plants and are blessed by singing – lao kha bengana kha, bosore bosore barhi ja/ mar xoru, baper xoru, toi hobi bor bor goru (blessing them to outgrow their parents).
The day of ‘Manhu Bihu’ commences with the early rising followed by a golden-green bath (a mixture of raw turmeric and green pulses) of the householders. Followed by praying to God, and then touching the feet of the elders of the house and locality veterans by respecting them with a bihuwan is the added convention. Bihuwan is a finely weaved cotton cloth with representations of floral, and other local designs.
Kongali Bihu, or Kati Bihu unlike the other two Bihus, stand for Kongal or, ‘being broke’ as the harvest in the paddy fields run dry. Kongali Bihu depicts that our natural self can be happy and prosperous and equally it is natural to feel lost and broken.
Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu) is the third and the final Bihu (January mid). Bhogali signifies that people are Bhogis or consumers of their hard toil. Magh Bihu starts with the display of variety of pithas (rice-cakes made of coconut, jaggery, sesame fillings), jolpans (various kinds of local porridges made of puffed rice mixed with milk, cream and sugar or jaggery) and more. The eve of Magh Bihu is the day of Uruka where people as a sign of respect to God of nourishment do not eat rice (the staple food crop of the locals).
What intrigues me is the scientific side to each of these Bihu. It is in sync with the Vedic thought of Purusarthas. Purusarthas is as a concept stands for the four-goals of man — Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
Rongali Bihu marks the stage of Dharma where we do our duties as deemed fit by the ethical code of conduct. Kati Bihu is the time when we realise Artha or, the basic means of livelihood is equally important. Maghu Bihu satisfies our appetite (kama) and makes us a bhogi.
Bohag Bihu effortlessly stands out to be the most attractive one. This is marked by an open performance of the local youths where men try to woo the women of their choice through Bihu geets. Young women on the other hand, respond to the charms of the young men by dancing the Bihu dance. It was not considered unethical or immoral to dance to the tune of men by women in the open fields. This open platform led to an equal footing of men and women in various walks of life.
Close to the plains of Assam is the foothills of the Khasi-Garo-Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya which is marked by their distinct matrilineal attitude. The origin of the Khasis is traced to be from the Mon Khmer race of Cambodia in South East Asia. They indulged in the tradition of oral story-telling through musical narrative. This practice is known as Sawdong ka langwiar dpei (Sawdong means around, ka refers to femininity, dpei to ash so it means around the hearth)’. Women are at the centre at heart and hearth of one’s home.
The sub-tribe of the Khasi people who are called as lyngngams. Lyngngams are the ancestors who came from Burma before 1200AD.
What is interesting here is that the Khasi word Lyngngnam resonates to the popular Vedic word Lingam or to the symbol of divine generative energy connected to Lord Shiva.
Khasis worship the One who is the creator, operator and generator of all things. He is U Blei Nongbuh Nongthaw. They are marked by their non-symbolic representation of U Blei. U Blei manifests in all forms of nature.
April marks their seasonal merry-making time in the form of a dance called ‘Shad Suk Mynsiem’ or ‘Shad Weking’. Shad in the local Khasi language is ‘dance’, ‘suk’ is happiness and ‘mynsiem’ for soul or spirit. It is also called Shad Weiking because it is held at the Weiking ground of Shillong. This dance reflects the spirited dance of the young hearts. The women wear colourful, exotic silk dresses, gold and silver ornaments while the men wear silk dhotis, waist-coats, plumed turbans and ornaments.
These two festivals of Assam and Meghalaya elaborate that life is all about celebration. Celebration with nature, in nature. This deep fact realised by the local people here makes them earthly, grounded and rooted. Just because the language, the dialogue, the environment surrounding it might seem alien or, different to the other, it should not be hastily concluded that the North Eastern region is different and alien to the Vedic culture.
What we find is that besides today’s techno-savvy world, we still have in the parts of the North East a deep connection with nature. That there are games for cows and other animals beyond the pale video games, that there is heart to heart connection with nature beyond the technological communication, that there is life beyond the virtual world gives me hope. To conclude from Shawshank Redemption — “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
(The author teaches at Hindu
College, Delhi University)
Photo: Sanjib Bhattacharjee
